


Spare Parts

by jonius_belonius (Joni_Beloni)



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate History, Bad Jokes, Future Dystopian World, M/M, Road Trip, Slow Burn Romance, bad behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-02 09:58:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8663026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joni_Beloni/pseuds/jonius_belonius
Summary: Harvey Specter, best procurement agent in Manhattan, locates whatever is desired by the billionaire families that rule their little corner of the former United States.  A special requisition from Charles Forstman for spare parts – blue eyes to replace his own failing ones – leads Harvey to Rikers prison and inmate Mike Ross.  Before Harvey can collect his commission, Forstman is shot, and Harvey is left holding a piece of now worthless merchandise.  He locates a buyer in Chicago in the market for a new heart.  Along with his colleagues, Donna and Rachel, and with Mike in tow (and unaware of his ultimate fate), Harvey sets out on a dangerous journey across the patchwork of former states.  On the road, with rival agents on his tail and hazards around every turn, Harvey slowly stops thinking of Mike as spare parts, and fights his growing attraction to the young man with the beautiful blue eyes and huge heart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was supposed to be my entry into a big bang thing, which turned out being cancelled due to disappearing participants, or something like that. Since I was already 20k along, I went ahead and finished it. I have to admit that had I predicted the outcome of the US elections, this probably would have been a different story -- much darker, for one thing.
> 
> Since it's already finished (although the final chapter will likely require some additional tweaking), I think I'll post two chapters a week, one on Saturday, and one on Wednesday. There are only eight chapters, so this will be wrapped up before the end of the year.
> 
> Buzzwell kindly agreed to be my beta for this before the cancellation, and even more kindly agreed to continue on after that. All of your suggestions were great, and if I wasn't such a hard-headed author, I probably would have followed more of them. A big thank you to Buzz, and of course all mistakes and world-building fails are my own.
> 
> EDIT: Now with super cool cover art by iamjohnlocked4life !

When his sub-dermal chip began to vibrate at three in the morning, Harvey Specter fought his way up out of his whiskey-aided sleep and smacked his palm against his upper arm to halt the electrical jolts pulsing through him.  He’d gotten back late last night from a run to New Jersey on what should have been a simple pickup and delivery, but had turned out to be another Tanner ambush, which ended in a gun fight that had nearly cost him his life. 

Jessica should have known better than to wake him – if he had bothered to check in and report before downing the rest of his precious whiskey and collapsing face first onto his lumpy mattress.  It had to be Jessica summoning him, because as far as Harvey knew, only she had access to his frequency.  He’d submitted to the chip years ago as part of his contract with the firm, but he resented the level of power she wielded over him.  As tempting as it was to ignore the summons, he didn’t dare, not yet, not when he was so tantalizing close to the day he could escape.

He snatched up his phone, hit speed dial one, and didn’t bother trying to disguise his annoyance with Jessica when she answered.  “Tanner set us up again,” he snapped, talking over her greeting.  “I barely got out of there in one piece.  How many times have I warned you?  We need to clean out that nest of rats.  One quick op and we’d be done with them for good.”  He left out the part about his latest panic attack.  She didn’t need to know about that.  Nobody did.

Momentary silence greeted his mini-rant.  “I act on my timeline, not yours, or Tanner’s, or anyone else’s.  When did you get back?”

He ran a hand through his hair, staring across his squat at the front door.  A poster taped to the door showed the Pacific Ocean, washing gently against a rocky beach strewn with pieces of fantastically shaped driftwood.  A sandy bluff overlooked the sheltered inlet, at the top of which sat a moss-covered A-frame surrounded by evergreen trees.  Seagulls circled in the stormy sky.  He'd found the old poster in a looted bodega in Queens years ago, and hung it there so he could see it every night as he fell asleep, and every morning before he went out the door.

“Four, five hours ago,” he answered Jessica.  “And yes, I should have called in earlier.  Couldn’t this have waited a few hours, though?  I was picking glass slivers out of my neck until one, and only just got to sleep.  By the way, Dominic’s going to need to track down another rear window for the limo.  Tanner shot it to shit.”

“I have an assignment for you.  And no, it can’t wait.  We’re on the clock with this one.”

“Who?”

“Forstman.”

He groaned.  “Ah, fuck.  No, Jessica.  Not again.  The man is pure poison.  Hard pass.”

“He’s offering ten times our usual commission, half credits and half gold.  Still want to take a pass?”

That made him hesitate, and he said, with less heat, “You know how I feel about him.”

“He’s making it worth our while.  And I’ll make it worth yours.  Twenty-five percent of the finder’s fee.”

That was surprisingly generous of her, enough so that it made him suspicious.  Normally, senior procurement agents such as himself only made ten percent, up from the seven percent he’d pulled in as a junior agent. 

He thought of the gold he had hidden away, the hoarded credits, and the well-thumbed brochures which represented his dreams for early retirement.

“What’s the job?” he asked, keeping his voice gruff.  They both knew he had already made up his mind.

“Simple,” she replied.  “Spare parts.”

He stifled another groan, and ignored the quick stab of anxiety in his gut.  “The merch?”

“Blue eyes, twenty-twenty vision, AB neg.  No older than thirty.”

He hummed thoughtfully, ignoring the disgust he felt at the assignment.  These sorts of jobs were his least favorite by far, but it wasn’t his first spare parts run.  He'd had dozens.  He’d learned to swallow his revulsion years ago.  “Blue eyes shouldn’t be a problem.  If memory serves, though, that blood type’s a rare one.  What's the time frame?"

"Twenty-four hours.  After that, he's opening it up to all comers."

Typical Forstman.  It wouldn't surprise Harvey if he'd already offered the same deal to Tanner.  "I’m going to have to get some specialized help to run it down that fast.”

“Then stop wasting time and get moving.”

“Jessica, it’s going to cost me.  I’m going to need thirty percent.”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Done.  Expect the merch by dinnertime.”  He had no idea if he could deliver, but it never hurt to sound confident.

“Don’t disappoint me.”  She hung up before he could reply.

With another heartfelt groan, he threw off his blankets and heaved himself to his feet, shivering as cold air hit his naked body.  The building's heating system had barely made it through last winter.  To survive this one, it needed to be looked after, which is why Harvey had saved up a stash of cigars and black market beer to bribe Dominic to patch it together again. 

Maybe he'd be gone by the first snow.  If he succeeded in finding Forstman his spare parts, and sweet-talked Jessica into giving him his share in gold, he'd have more than enough to buy the tract of land he had his eye on out west.  He'd already saved up what he needed to bribe the guards at the gate to get himself out of New York without an official pass.

Electricity was flowing this morning, at least for the moment, so he took advantage and brewed a pot of weak coffee, adding a synthetic flavor tablet to make it drinkable.  Almost drinkable.  He grimaced, pawed in the cupboard for sugar, and found none.  Long past time for a supply run.  He made a list in his head as he dressed:  coffee, sugar, whiskey, bullets.

Food.  _Shit._   Getting Benjamin to cooperate usually required some form of cured meat.  Sometimes coffee worked.  He added another flavor tablet to the pot and fixed a large mug for his upstairs neighbor.  He'd probably have to transfer a few credits as well.  Good thing he could afford to part with some.  He buttoned up his vest, straightened his tie, adjusted his shoulder holster, gave his Beretta a quick check, settled it into the holster, and shrugged into his suit jacket. 

Before he left, he checked his look in the cracked mirror near his front door.  He might have taken a moment to fiddle with his hair, and slick it into place, and he could use a shave, but he felt the press of time too keenly.  The clock was ticking.  If the day went as planned, this could be his last job for Jessica.

 _Don't think about that.  Stay focused.  Stay on task._ Slipping into his role of best, most ruthless procurement agent in a city filled with thieves and hustlers came almost naturally after all these years.  He was tired beyond words of the struggle.  One more job, and he could be out of this shit hole of a city and find someplace where he could just fucking _breathe_.

He took one more quick glance around the shabby apartment, considering what else he might need for the job.  A dozen gold coins went into his pocket, along with two spare magazines for the Beretta.  He gulped down his own coffee and carried Benjamin's mug out the door with him, pausing to tap the poster on the door, as was his habit every day.

In the hallway, he double-padlocked his door and then climbed the stairs to the third floor, trying but failing to ignore the mingled odors of stale vomit and piss and the questionable culinary efforts of whoever lived behind the other doors in the abandoned building.

He knocked, not bothering to worry whether Benjamin was awake at this hour.  As far as Harvey could tell, the twitchy little hacker never slept, particularly not if the power was on in the building.

Almost immediately, the door opened a crack, and then swung wider to reveal a small, dark-haired man wearing rumpled boxers and baggy t-shirt.  He peered around the inky hallway and then gestured for Harvey to come inside.

"Bacon?" he greeted Harvey.

"Sorry.  Short notice.  I brought you some of my special brew instead."  He thrust the mug at him.

Benjamin took one cautious sip and screwed his face up.  "Terrible."

Harvey noticed that he retained a firm hold on the mug, and sipped from it periodically.

"Worst bribe ever, Harvey."

Harvey followed him deeper into a shadowy apartment filled with cobbled together electronic equipment and piles of tattered, yellowing books.  "Then consider the coffee a neighborly gesture."

"From you?  Yeah, tell me another one.  What do you want?"

"I've got a requisition to fill.  Thought you might be able to help."

Benjamin tilted his head to one side and took a seat atop three fruit crates, in front of a monitor that currently showed nothing but a series of colorful wavy lines.  

“Specs?” he asked, already typing rapidly.

Harvey repeated what Jessica had told him and watched as Benjamin’s hands stuttered and paused, and then started up again faster than before, as if eager to get the distasteful task over with as quickly as possible.  He made no comment, for which Harvey was grateful.  Benjamin was nothing if not discreet.

After several minutes of typing, Benjamin sat back and they both watched as rows of numbers and letters and symbols scrolled down the screen, unintelligible to Harvey, but probably a second language for Benjamin.  A signal sounded from the speakers, and Benjamin tapped away for a few seconds.

“Here’s something … nope, too old.” 

 _Tap tap tap_ he went on the keyboard and the scrolling resumed.

Again, he leaned closer.  “This … oh hold up.  They’re buying not selling.  Chicago, too.”  He made an annoyed clicking sound with his tongue and typed some more.  “Let’s tighten up the search a bit.”

The wait this time lasted nearly ten minutes.  Benjamin appeared to be focused on the monitor in front of him, but Harvey noticed him shooting him quick little glances out of the corner of his eye.

Harvey crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, assuming the pose of badass procurement agent he had perfected over the years.  “What?”

Benjamin turned to face Harvey squarely.  The stacked crates wobbled, but didn’t fall.  “Don’t take this the wrong way.”

Harvey arched an eyebrow, waiting, guessing what was coming.

“Just … how do you do it?  How do you live with yourself?  How do you sleep at night?”

“Like a baby,” he lied.  The real answer was, with the help of copious amounts of whiskey, and when whiskey was scarce, any one of a variety of illegal drugs.  And when all that wasn’t enough, he rode out the panic until the feelings went away again.

The computer blooped and Benjamin turned back to the monitor.

“Here we go … twenty-six years old, blue eyes, AB neg, current residence … oh.”

“What?”

“He’s locked up.  Been in Rikers for ten years.”

Shit.  Since he was sixteen.  He was either a broken ghost of a man by now, or one of the monsters produced by the brutal conditions inside.  Harvey thought of Forstman, and how he’d be the one to house the merch until he’d used him up, and he hoped it was one of the monsters.   If the merch proved too difficult to handle long term, that would serve up some satisfying poetic justice to Forstman.

Harvey had contacts at Rikers.  This was going to be one of the easiest commissions he’d ever earned, as well as the most lucrative.

“Print it out for me,” he ordered.

“Slow down.  I told you, that coffee’s not even going to cover a down payment.  Plus, you know I can’t run you a tab.  Payment in full up front.

Harvey didn’t point out the obvious – that he could simply contact Rikers himself now. Still, he hated to lose a good resource like Benjamin had proven to be.  Even if this job turned out to be his ticket out of here, as he hoped, it never hurt to know someone with computer skills, even on the other side of the continent.  The pirate web stretched over almost the entire globe these days.

“How are you set for credits?” asked Harvey.

Benjamin scrunched his face in obvious distaste.  “Nearly tapped.  I’d prefer something more tangible, but if that’s what you’ve got, I think we can come to an agreement.”

Harvey pulled his memory stick from his inner coat pocket and offered it to Benjamin.  “Take what you think is fair.”

Benjamin’s eyes widened, and Harvey could read both speculation and greed in his expression.

“Don’t overdo it.  I could snap your neck and nobody would find your body for weeks.  Months, maybe.  Or never.”

Benjamin laughed uncertainly.  “Then who would you go to for this kind of information?”

Harvey almost told him that he would likely not need him in the future, but chose to keep that to himself. 

Benjamin finally took the stick from him, plugged it into his CPU tower, typed in a password, and watched the screen intently for perhaps ten seconds more before typing another command to halt the transfer.  He handed the stick back to Harvey, who made a show of checking the transaction history on its digital readout.

“I would have allowed double that,” he said, which wasn’t true, but he enjoyed the look of chagrin he’d put on Benjamin’s expressive face.  He didn’t complain, however, and meekly pressed a series of commands to produce a one page printout, which he handed over to Harvey, who waited with his hand out.

“Whatever Jessica Pearson is paying you, Harvey, I hope it’s worth it.  Your client’s going to chop that guy up for parts.  You know that, right?”

“She pays me what I’m worth.  That’s all I care about.  What happens to the merch is not my concern.”  His damp palms and tight chest might have said otherwise, but Benjamin didn’t need to know that.  “See you around Ben.  Maybe next time I see you I’ll have some bacon.”

As he exited and shut the door behind him, he heard the expected retort:  “It’s Benjamin. Not Ben.   Asshole.”

 

******

 

Harvey pulled up to the prison’s outer gates, frowning at the pinging sound coming from under the hood of the limo. When he got back with the package, he’d have Dominic take a look at it, and see if they could keep it limping along a little while longer.

He flashed his PA badge at the guard, slipped him a gold coin, and the gate slid open to admit him. They all knew him here. Other procurement agents might be willing to shop among the rejects and human garbage housed here, but Harvey’s bribes were the best. Visiting might be a dicey proposition, but he’d found their recordkeeping to be thorough and accurate, and their prices beat the private sector, hands down. His contacts here were what allowed him to achieve some of the highest profit margins in the business, which had helped to bolster his reputation.

He parked the limo near the front door. Even though he was reasonably secure behind the locked and electrified gate, he knew better than to ever take his safety for granted. After checking under his coat to assure himself that his Beretta was easily accessible, he booby-trapped the ignition, exited the vehicle and padlocked the driver’s side door. With steady, deliberate steps, gaze flicking to the left and to the right, he made his way to the door and raised his hands over his head, displaying his weapon, and seconds later heard the buzz which unlocked the door. It swung opened, and he entered the prison – or rather the outer guard station.

“Hey, Harvey.” The CO, Gregory, stood behind a waist high counter. He glanced up from his clipboard, scribbled something on it, and tossed it down on the counter. “You’re up early.  Looking for something in particular?”

Harvey passed him the printout from Benjamin, and watched the CO’s eyebrows lift in apparent surprise.

“I shouldn’t tell you, but this guy?  I’d almost pay you to take him off our hands.”

“Troublemaker?”

“The worst kind.  He’s been stirring things up in there like you wouldn’t believe.  Won’t align with any of the factions.  We’ve had him in our sights for possible termination.”

“Violent?”

“No.  Just never shuts up.  Probably trying to pull all the animals together.  Planning some kind of power play.  Shit.  It’s like fucking clockwork in there.  Every two years, give or take.”

Harvey gave a satisfied grunt.  His conscience wouldn’t be taking much of bruising on this job.  It sounded like the merch was living on borrowed time already.  “Better make sure he’s gagged and secure when you give him to me.”

Gregory laughed, shaking his head.  “Give?  Nice try, but the usual price applies.  Extra for the restraints.”

Harvey shrugged good-naturedly.  Let the CO believe this was just more scrap flesh for some ‘Garch’s amusement.  He’d keep to himself how rare the merch was.  He pulled out a small cloth bag that clinked when he set it on the counter.  For good measure, he passed Gregory a packet of his favorite black market weed, keeping it covered with his palm in case the cameras were working this morning.

“I’ll send in a team,” said Gregory, dropping the gold in a drawer and pocketing the weed.  “We’ll have him ready to go in half an hour, one hour tops.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Want some truly shitty coffee while you wait?”

Harvey grunted and shook his head.  His gut was already complaining about the coffee he’d downed earlier.

The minutes ticked past, maddeningly slow. Feeling restless, he pulled out Benjamin’s printout and scowled down at it. Michael James Ross. Twenty-six years old, property of the state since he was orphaned at eleven, and housed here since he turned sixteen. No surviving family.  Pure Disposable. 

He’d had an unlucky life thus far, and now it turned out he’d been unlucky enough to be born with both blue eyes and the rarest of blood types, AB negative. The fact that Forstman had specified blood type told Harvey that after his eyes had been harvested, Forstman intended to house him until his other aging organs began to fail.  The prisoner would be dismantled piece by piece until nothing recognizable remained.  The subject would be lucky – or unlucky – to live to see thirty.   Except, by tomorrow or the next day, he’d never see anything again.

Harvey sighed. His conscience would have preferred that the subject was a violent criminal. His record showed that he’d been picked up for vagrancy, and been given an effective life sentence for being homeless. It was a minor miracle that he’d lasted ten years in here. Tucking the paperwork away, he put the subject out of his mind. The merch’s pathetic life wasn’t his problem. He had his own pathetic life to worry about.

Harvey dug into his pocket for a well-worn, folded sheet of paper. Benjamin had found the photograph for him on the pirate web, firing up his ancient Dell and network-hopping all the way out to the west coast and the free territories. Some hotshot hacker was leading a group out there, tasked with patching and rebuilding relics of the internet, one slow, careful piece at a time. The photo was supposedly of empty land, there for the taking by anyone with ambition, and ready gold, and the courage to start over from scratch.

Harvey had been saving for years, but was still shy of the quantity of gold needed to purchase the number of acres he wanted. The price for Michael James Ross, even after subtracting the hefty bribes, would put him over the top.

Half an hour went by, and then another half hour.  As he was on the verge of dozing off, he heard the buzz of a door release, and rose to his feet, moving closer to the CO’s desk to get his first glimpse of the subject.

The door swung open to reveal six guards dressed in full riot gear escorting a lone prisoner, who had been shackled at wrists and ankles, and fitted with a ball gag.  A fresh bruise darkened the flesh around one eye, and he limped as he entered the room.  A baton prodded his back and he shuffled toward Harvey, halting several feet away, with his gaze fixed on the cracked cement floor.

Even with distance between them, Harvey caught a whiff of his foul odor.  He wrinkled his nose, and brushed at the lapels of his pristine suit, as if he could flick the smell away.

“Mike Ross, this is Harvey Specter, private procurement agent.”

A flash of pale blue as the prisoner flicked a gaze at Harvey and then back down to the floor.  Harvey’s glimpse of the prisoner’s eyes was fleeting, but lasted long enough for him to recognize them as things of beauty.  Those twin works of art were what Charles Forstman intended to have cut out with a scalpel, and possess.

Harvey forced the guilt down.  It was a pity, but that was the way the world worked these days.  He examined the merch, coldly appraising his value, and judging him worth far more than the offered price. 

Harvey saw no point in informing the prisoner what his immediate future held.  He’d make the delivery, collect the commission, and then start planning his departure.  “Come on,” he said gruffly, grabbing the merch’s arm and leading him to the door.  The prisoner put up no resistance until they reached the limo, and Harvey opened the trunk and ordered him inside.

The prisoner shook his head adamantly, and Harvey sighed.  He hated it when they were stubborn.  In a practiced move, too swift for the merch to avoid, he pulled a hypo from his jacket pocket and plunged it into the prisoner’s neck.  He crumpled like a marionette with its strings cut, and Harvey gave him a shove which landed his upper body in the trunk.  Harvey swung his legs in and slammed the trunk lid down.  Mission accomplished.

So why wasn’t he feeling elation?  Why was his heart racing, and why did his lungs suddenly feel too tight and small to supply enough oxygen?  He dropped heavily into the driver’s seat and rubbed at his chest.

_Fuck … not now._

The familiar wave of panic washed through him.  Sweat broke out all over his body.  His chest felt as if it might crack open.  He fumbled in the glove box for the flask he kept there.  It was nearly empty, but he drained every last remaining drop of whiskey, closed his eyes and leaned back against the headrest, waiting for his heart rate to slow.

God, he hated this work.  It hadn’t started out like this when Jessica took him on.  They had acquired relatively simple things for their clients back then, like superior cuts of meat, or bolts of fine silk, or collectible technology, or books, or art created before the country began to fracture apart, into smaller and smaller pieces.

The first request for a human organ was how long ago?  Maybe five years.  Harvey had caught that job, but had carried back the already harvested liver in an ice chest.  It had been so easy, and at the time he hadn’t realized it had been the first piece of his soul that he had lost.  As the wealthy ruling class in New York aged, and abused their bodies through extravagant living, the requests had grown more frequent, and the collection methods more cutthroat.

Lately, the practice of “Frankensteining" had grown in popularity.  It might be beyond the market’s abilities to provide decent housing, or even a decent cup of coffee, but if you had enough ready currency, anything was possible.  He’d heard of new hands, and arms and legs being stolen and transplanted to aging clients desperate to prolong the illusion of youth.  Doctors and scientists who might have been better employed maximizing food sources, or reversing the cascading effects of climate change, were instead pushing the frontiers of bioengineering. 

In the beginning, Jessica had declined to involve her firm in the practice, or to sanction the kidnapping of perfectly healthy, law-abiding citizens to collect the excessive fees.  Then again, it had once seemed unbelievable to think that he’d be delivering a live person, Disposable or not, to be harvested for parts.  He might hate it, but it was the reality in which he lived, and what was paying for his escape.

He rubbed a hand over his face and strove to pull himself together.  When he felt able to speak in a normal-sounding voice, he took out his phone and called Jessica.  And because she would expect it, he did his best to sound smug and triumphant.  “Got it,” he said.  “I’m heading to Forstman’s compound now.”

“Hold up, Harvey.  Something’s happening in the city center.”

“Something?  Could you be more specific?”  It might be anything from a gas leak, to a busted sewer pipe, to violent protestors being maced by the police.

“Donna’s on it.  She’s working the shortwave.  Get back here now until we figure it out.”  She broke the connection.

Practically gnashing his teeth, Harvey started the car and left the prison.  This fucking city.  Always some bullshit going down.  If he had to live through another coup and the accompanying rioting in the streets, he was going to lose his fucking mind.  At least the car’s engine had stopped pinging for the time being.

At the entrance to the warehouse, he rolled down his window, pressed his thumb to the biometric scanner, the door slid open, and he pulled inside, parked, and made his way through a pair of swinging double doors into the office.  A dozen agents, both junior and senior, milled around, attention focused on Donna Paulson, who was busy with the shortwave.  Harvey caught Jessica’s eye as he strode closer, but she held up one finger and nodded toward Donna.

The redhead repeated their call letters and signed off.  She looked paler than normal.  “Well,” she said, addressing the room, “it’s confirmed.  Forstman’s been shot.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday, peeps! Thanks for the comments and kudos on chapter 1. Much appreciated!

“Forstman’s been shot.” 

Excited chatter broke out in the room.  Several of the agents exchanged high fives.  Harvey made his way to Donna’s side, joining Jessica.  “How badly?” he asked Donna.  “Please tell me they finished the job.” 

“No broadcast of the corpse yet, but Gionopoulos’s people have already put in claims against Forstman’s property.”  She didn’t have to add that this all but confirmed that his faction had put out the hit. 

Jessica shook her head, expression grim.  “Goddamn it.  This is going to shake up the whole power balance again.  I knew that truce was too good to last.  All those rich bastards are going to be scrambling to come out on top.” 

“Sounds good for business,” commented Donna. 

Jessica gave her a quelling look.  “Sounds like an even better time to take an extended vacation.” 

Even though Harvey knew she wasn't going anywhere, he said, “Well before you do, there is the not so small matter of my payment.”  He dropped heavily into the chair next to Donna's desk. 

Jessica’s eyebrow arched elegantly.  “Excuse me?” 

“Payment.  For the merchandise currently trussed up in the trunk of my car.  That requisition that couldn’t wait for a more civilized hour?  Filled.”  He pulled out his credit stick and held it out to her.  “Twenty-seven percent of ten times the usual.  Half credits, half gold.  I’ll take those credits now.  Of course, if you’d like to pay all in gold, I could probably be talked into shaving a little off my commission.” 

“Harvey, our client has just been shot down in the street.  The requisition is voided.”  She moved closer so that she could tower over him, her favorite power play.  Unfortunately for her, this had ceased to have the desired effect on Harvey years ago. 

He had to crane his neck a little, but he did so, managing to meet her obsidian gaze as he replied.  “The condition of the client is not my problem.  I’ve already spent my own credits and gold on bribes and consulting fees.  All of which, by the way, are non-refundable.  I can’t just take the merch back to Rikers and flash them my receipt.” 

“Harvey, you know my motto:  no reward without risks.  This time the risk didn't pay off, and you're stuck with useless spare parts.  Just get rid of it.  Accept the loss and move on.  If you’ve grown too squeamish to do the job yourself, ask Louis.  He hasn’t shot anyone for days, and he’s growing twitchy.”   

“Damn it, Jessica.” 

She stepped right up to him, all but smothering him with her shadow.  “Let me be crystal clear.  I’m not paying you a goddamn thing.  If I don’t get paid, you don’t get paid.” 

He glowered up at her, or attempted to.  In all likelihood, it probably looked more like a pout.  He knew she was right.  From the way Donna was biting her lip, she was finding his predicament amusing.  “I’m not squeamish,” he muttered, turning his glare on Donna. 

“Good to know.”  Jessica stepped back, giving him breathing room, and raised her voice to address the room at large.  “You’re all confined to barracks until further notice.  Gear up.  Body armor at all times.  If you need to restock your ammunition, do it now.  I’m sure we all remember what this city was like during the last power struggle.” 

“The streets ran in blood,” intoned Louis Litt.  His eyes gleamed, either in remembrance, or anticipation – or both. 

“Yes, Louis,” Jessica replied smoothly.  “Blood was spilled.  You spilled more than your share as I recall.  This time around, let’s take a more moderate, wait-and-see attitude, shall we?  If anyone approaches any of you about choosing sides, remember that I do all the negotiating for this firm.  Okay, people.  Siege protocols apply.  Double the sentries, and stay alert.”  No one moved for a few seconds, so she flicked her fingers at them.  “Well?  What are you waiting for?” 

Most of the agents scattered to follow her orders.  Harvey stayed where he was. 

“Harvey?  Did you hear me exempt you from any of that?  Go take care of that loose end in the trunk of your car.”  Without waiting for a response, Jessica swept out of the room, probably to don her own body armor and polish her weapons. 

“Fuck.”  Harvey shook his head in disgust.   

“We tried that,” said Donna.  “Didn’t go so well, remember?” 

“I was this close.”  Harvey held up his thumb and forefinger, demonstrating the miniscule distance between them.  “This job should have been my ticket out of here for good.” 

Donna placed her hand on the back of his.  “To go where?  To do what?  If you could even make it to the west coast, and if whoever made that flyer is still around, or even legit at all, and you somehow manage to get your precious chunk of land, then what?  Are you going to live out the rest of your life as a hermit monk?  You’d die of boredom within a month.” 

Harvey scowled at her.  He hated to admit that she might be right.  Still, death by boredom sounded preferable to bleeding out in a filthy alley.  If he stuck around, and failed to get his panic attacks under control, this could be his fate, sooner rather than later.  He heaved himself to his feet, groaning at the thought of the immediate task before him.  He left the office and returned to the main part of the warehouse, where he’d parked his car.  Donna trailed along behind him.   

They found Rachel standing at the trunk of the black limousine, arms crossed and frowning deeply.  “Dominic just finished replacing your window,” she said.  “Also, I think your car is in serious need of a tune-up.” 

A rhythmic, pounding came from the trunk, accompanied by muffled curses.  The back end of the car jounced gently up and down. 

“He sounds pretty pissed off,” commented Donna.  “You should have gagged him.” 

“I did.” 

“And drugged him,” chimed in Rachel. 

He gave her an annoyed glare.  “I gave him a full hypo less than an hour ago.  He must have the metabolism of a … a …” 

“Hummingbird?” suggested Donna, causing Rachel to giggle. 

“Sure.  Whatever.”  He unholstered his Beretta, chambered a round, and nodded at Donna.  “Go on.  Hit the trunk release.”  He fought off remembered images of pretty blue eyes and tightened his jaw.  “What a waste,” he muttered. 

“Maybe you don’t have to kill him.” 

Harvey flicked a look in Donna’s direction.  “I’m listening.” 

“You’re right.  It seems like such a waste.  I mean, Forstman was going to pay top dollar – far beyond top dollar – for not just the eyes, but the blood.  I did some research.  That blood type is extremely rare.  Something like half a percent of the population.”  Donna gave Harvey a look of mock pity.  “That means a little, teensy portion of the population.” 

Harvey turned and pointed his finger at Rachel.  “You, stop laughing.  And you …”  He turned back to Donna.  “What are you getting at?” 

“Find another buyer.” 

He thought that over.  “I’m not hating the idea.”  He checked their immediate vicinity to ensure that no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.  “Unfortunately, Jessica’s got us all on lockdown.” 

“Like that’s ever stopped us before.”  Donna waited, and seeing that Harvey remained unconvinced, she tried again.  “Just find a buyer first.  Maybe it will turn out to be easy.  Maybe there’s some guy on the next block over with a bad liver.” 

“And who has Forstman’s resources?” 

“Hey, we all know that you’re not likely to find a buyer with pockets as deep as his.  You might have to cut the price considerably.   Your options are limited, though.  How else are you going to recoup your losses?” 

He shifted uneasily.  Donna made sense, but it was never a wise move to thwart Jessica, at least not openly. 

“No reward without risks,” Donna wheedled, employing Jessica’s own favorite motto. 

“All right,” said Harvey.  “Maybe.  I suppose it can’t hurt to make some inquiries.  I’ve got a guy who can get us some answers.  I’ll need a bribe, though.  Any chance you can get your hands on some bacon?  The real stuff, not that imitation soy garbage.” 

“I can,” offered Rachel. 

Harvey gave her a surprised look.  She was relatively new to the firm.  He’d dismissed her as too pretty to be an agent, and assumed that Jessica had hired her intending to capitalize on those looks.  “You?  You have access to an item that rare?” 

“Sure.  I have my contacts.  There’s this underground foodie group …” 

Harvey held up his hand.  “Don’t care.  And a word of advice:  you should know by now to keep your contacts to yourself.”  He narrowed his eyes.  “If you do this, what do you want from me?” 

“I want in.  I want a cut.” 

He grimaced.  He didn’t need an inexperienced agent slowing him down – if he actually went through with this.  “I don’t do babysitting.” 

“Oh, please,” she scoffed, “have you seen my training scores?  One hundred percent on marksmanship.  And I took down every first year agent during mock battle.  I may be only an agent-in-training right now, but I can take care of myself just fine.” 

He gave her another assessing look.  “I suppose I could give you two percent.” 

“Five.” 

“Three.” 

She nodded.  “Deal.” 

“But look, sweetheart,” said Harvey, being purposely condescending, “we don’t even know yet if, and how much, a potential buyer is going to pay for this Disposable.  Why are you willing to put your job on the line like this?  Both Donna and I have been around a while, and Jessica considers us assets.  She might forgive us for our temporary disloyalty.  You?  She’d kick you straight to the curb.” 

Rachel flipped her long, dark hair back behind one shoulder.  “Because I need a chance to prove myself.  I’m sick of being the ‘gift with purchase’ for these sick fucks that employ this firm.  I want to become an agent, so I never have to suck another octogenarian dick just to pay for a crappy cot in Jessica’s dormitory.” 

Donna put an arm around her waist and rubbed her shoulder.  “And you shouldn’t have to, beautiful.  Tell her she’s on the team, Harvey.” 

“What team?  I don’t even know if there’s a job yet.  And since when do I work with partners?” 

“Since she’s got the bacon contacts, and I’m sticking by her side to keep you away from her.” 

Donna knew damn well that Rachel was not Harvey’s type, which meant she thought that she might be hers.  “Fine, but if you want a cut of the commission, you’ll have to split hers.  Now both of you get the hell away from me and do you best to appear innocent and non-conspiratorial.  Rachel, find me my bribe.  I need to call my own contact and do some arm twisting.” 

“What about that?” asked Rachel, pointing at the trunk, where the sounds of distress continued unabated. 

“What about it?”  Neither woman made a move to leave, and Harvey bit back a growl.  He banged on the trunk with the butt of his gun.  The noises continued, and he seriously considered putting a bullet through the trunk to get the merch’s attention.  He slapped his palm twice on the cool metal, and leaned down to place his lips near the lock.  “Hey.  Keep it down in there, unless you want a double shot of what you got before.” 

One more loud thunk sounded, as if the merch had kicked the inside of the trunk in frustration or anger.  After that, silence fell.  “Satisfied?” he asked Rachel.  Her only response was a wary look at him, before Donna dragged her away. 

*** 

Arm twisting proved useless.  Instead, Benjamin required a great deal of sweet-talking before he agreed to take on the job for nothing except a promise of a future reward.  Good thing that convincing people to do things they didn’t want to do was part of Harvey’s skill set.   

While he waited for Benjamin to call him back with the results of his search, Harvey made his way to the barracks.  He might not sleep in the dormitory with the junior agents any longer, but he still maintained a locker onsite.  He stripped down to his briefs and socks, and donned what amounted to the procurement firm’s version of combat wear:  black pants, black t-shirt, black low-heeled boots, a thigh holster for his Beretta, and a body-hugging vest of graphene armor.   

Louis was busy organizing the junior agents into sentry shifts, and Harvey left him to it.  He paced around the warehouse as he waited for Benjamin to call him back, staying close enough to the limo to listen for any renewed ruckus from the merch.  All remained quiet inside the trunk.   

A fresh bout of nerves assailed him as he thought about what he and Donna and Rachel were actually considering. He’d been with Jessica since she discovered him stealing food in an East Village bodega when he was seventeen.  Instead of turning him over to the authorities – condemning him to a life in prison – she’d recruited him for her firm.  He’d been loyal to her ever since.  She and the firm were his only family.  His birth family had fled New York after the Battle for Manhattan, just before the borders closed.  On his own for nearly two years, Harvey had toughened up fast.  Still, if Jessica hadn’t offered him a trainee position, he might not have lasted to see twenty.  

Despite his gratitude, he’d begun to chafe under her command.  He wanted out, but he’d never wished to defy Jessica to get what he wanted.  He’d saved, and planned, and waited, and sometimes rehearsed the speech he’d give her, to explain his need to leave. 

He could see her now, halfway across the expanse of the warehouse, conferring with Louis and Katrina Bennett, an up and comer who had quickly gained the trust of both Jessica and Louis.  A wave of guilt swept through him.  He did not want to defy Jessica.  How could he?  He owed her too much.  He eyed the limo, and then stared down at his phone.  He had nearly talked himself into calling Benjamin and telling him to cancel the search, when his phone rang. 

Benjamin. 

“Oh, fuck me,” he whispered, wracked with indecision.  He answered on the fourth ring. 

“Harvey, I’ve got good news, and not so good news.” 

Harvey had his gaze on Jessica as he answered.  It looked as if she was making a call of her own, from the phone Louis handed to her.  He turned his back on them.  “Talk to me.” 

“There’s a family in Chicago.  They make the Forstmans look like petty beggars.  Their son needs a new heart.  And you guessed it, your prime merch has the right blood type.  There’s still the tissue typing and cross-match to consider.  You know these rich types, though.  They’re paying just for delivery of a possible donor.  It never hurts to have a spare blood supply around, right?  If your merch passes the other compatibility tests, they’re guaranteeing a huge bonus.  If not, standard rates apply.” 

Harvey blew out a breath.  Risky in every way.  Just getting out of Manhattan with the current state of the city would be difficult.  The roads to Chicago were dauntingly treacherous.  They’d have to fight their way through unfederated New York, the three Pennsylvanias, the Ohio Badlands, whatever was left of Indiana after the fracking disaster of 2012, and then assuming they made it to Chicago alive, they would have to find a way into the city, through barricades reputedly more dangerous than the ones surrounding Manhattan. 

_No reward without risks._  

Benjamin was waiting for an answer.  “Give me the details,” Harvey said, searching his pockets for a pen, with no luck. 

“Sure, Harvey.  You can have the details, as soon as I receive payment.” 

“Ben …” 

“Calling me that is not going to help you get what you want.  I’m not going anywhere.  Bring me my bacon and you get the name.”  He broke the connection. 

Chicago.  No quick trip down the street which Jessica would forgive once she received her cut.  Taking this job would mean outright mutiny, and right in the midst of a major political crisis.  He gave the trunk of the limo a regretful look.  All things considered, perhaps a quick death would be more merciful for Michael James Ross and his pretty blue eyes.   

Harvey had his hand on the Beretta’s grip, preparing to withdraw it from the holster, when an electrical shock ripped through his shoulder and down his arm.   He clutched ineffectually at his vibrating subdermal chip and dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth and grunting in pain.  He heard the tread of booted feet approaching and looked up through watery eyes to see Jessica, Louis and Katrina approaching.  The pain escalated and he collapsed onto his side, cursing. 

“That’s enough, Louis,” he heard Jessica say. 

The searing pain lasted several more seconds before shutting off as suddenly as it had begun. 

“Fucking hell,” he rasped, and rolled to his back to find himself surrounded by the three of them.  He could see now that Louis held the chip stimulator.  Jessica must be well and truly pissed to have handed it off to that homicidal maniac.  Harvey strove to control his panting breaths, and to ignore the crazy careening of his heart.  “What was that for?”  Even as he asked, he had already guessed the answer. 

“Did I or did I not give you a direct order earlier?”  Jessica loomed over him, and for once he found himself alarmed by her cold anger.  She rarely directed it at him, and he found himself wanting to cringe and beg her forgiveness.  Like Louis and Katrina, she had changed into combat gear identical to Harvey’s.  It fit her as if custom tailored. 

“What?  The Disposable?”  Harvey gave the performance his all, trying to sound affronted that she could have doubted him.  It helped that he’d been on the verge of following her order, albeit belatedly.  “If you’d had a little faith in me, and waited another ten seconds – ” 

“Waited for what, Harvey?” sneered Louis, moving to stand next to Jessica.  “For you to desert your post?  So you could make a side deal with some buyer in Chicago?  That’s right.  Don’t look so shocked.”  He held up a phone, showing it to Harvey.  "You really should install that new signal scrambler that I issued last month." 

Harvey sat up slowly.  A warning jolt hit him, but he refused to give Louis the satisfaction of losing control again. 

“Louis,” warned Jessica, and he lifted his thumb from the controls. 

“You were listening to my phone call?” said Harvey.  If he didn’t believe that Louis would drop him in an instant, he would have been on his feet, pummeling that weasel face.  He turned his attention to Jessica.  “That is totally out of bounds.  He can’t do that.”  She said nothing.  Her face seemed carved from stone. “Damn it, Jessica.  A little support here would be nice.  Louis is in clear violation of his agent’s contract.  What are you going to do about it?” 

“Siege protocols,” she ground out.  “Read the fucking manual.  Louis was well within his rights.” 

From where she stood near his feet, Katrina piped in, “If you need help sounding out the big words, get Donna to help you.” 

Harvey clenched his jaw and turned his head away, striving for calm.  He caught sight of Donna and Rachel leaning against the wall not far away, watching the little drama unfold.  “Are you going to let her talk to me like that, Jessica?” 

“I’ve given you plenty of rope over the years,” replied Jessica, “and it saddens me to discover that you’ve finally managed to hang yourself.” 

“Come on, Jessica.  I’m your best agent.  I was only looking to turn a profit on the Disposable.  It’s called initiative.  How can you fault me for that?” 

“Your value to the firm is the only reason I’m allowing you a trial of your peers.  It will have to wait until this political situation is resolved, however.  Louis, Katrina, take Harvey and lock him in the brig, and then take care of that.”  She nodded at the limousine. 

Jessica turned to leave.  Katrina had drawn her weapon, training it on Harvey.  Louis grasped him under the arm and hauled him roughly to his feet.  Harvey jerked away, mind working furiously to manufacture a way out of his predicament. 

At that instant, the lights went out, plunging the space into darkness.  Harvey dropped to the ground and rolled away from Louis.  The sound of gunfire echoed through the warehouse.  Harvey judged that it was coming from the far side of the big space.  He heard yelling, agitated questions coming from every direction, and running feet.  A car started up nearby. 

“Shit,” he whispered, rising to one knee and struggling to understand what was happening.   

A voice he recognized as Jessica’s shouted something about the main breaker.  A hand grabbed him, pulling him up and toward the revving engine sounds.  He fought to get loose, until Rachel’s voice came urgently in his ear.  “Donna’s in the car.  We’ve got to move fast, before they figure out it’s not an external attack.” 

He had only a second to wonder how she was seeing where to steer him, and then he heard the squeal of tires, and Donna's insistent voice, yelling from a few feet away, "Get the hell in here." 

He was practically dragged into the backseat of the limo by a surprisingly strong Rachel, cracking his elbow on the door frame as he entered.  The car surged forward, throwing him back against plush upholstery.   

A dozen questions jostled inside his mind.  How were the two women able to see in the pitch black?  How were they planning to get out of the warehouse, through triple-reinforced steel?  Miraculously he heard the whirr of machinery, and seconds later, weak afternoon light illuminated the car's interior, providing the answer to his two most immediate questions.  Both women had donned night vision goggles, and Rachel had appropriated the remote for the wide door that let cars in and out of the warehouse. 

"How do you like your team now?" smirked Rachel as they zoomed out onto the street and she closed the door behind them.  She ripped off her goggles, and Donna did the same 

"Where to?" asked Donna, meeting Harvey's eyes in the rearview mirror.  

Rachel didn't give him a chance to answer.  "The fresh market on Fifth and Lex.  They'll have the bribe we need." 

"Please tell me you scrambled your phone when you called to get that information."  Harvey was rubbing his shoulder, trying to massage away the lingering sensation of electric pain.  The next time he saw Louis, he planned to punch him in his smug, lunatic face. 

"Of course I did.  My God, do you think I'm an idiot?" 

Harvey lapsed into silence.  Apparently, he was the only idiot in the car, which illustrated how much of his edge he had lost in the past months.  In an attempt to make up for lost ground, he thought rapidly.  Could they afford to make a stop at his building?  Once Jessica realized he was gone, that would be the first place she looked for him.  Luckily, the eavesdropping device used by Louis and Jessica was only effective within one hundred yards of the subject.   

A burst of gunfire sounded from half a block ahead of them.  Donna cranked the wheel to the right, sending them down a side street. 

As Harvey was thrown against the door, he dialed Benjamin's number.  "If you want your precious bacon, meet me at Fifth and Lex in half an hour.  Bring me that name."  He didn't bother waiting for a reply.  He knew Benjamin would be there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> (P.S. Mike will see the light of day again in the next chapter.)


	3. Chapter 3

Normally at this time of day, the fresh market would be packed with stalls and milling customers searching for fruits and vegetables and cheap cuts of meat for their tables, or slightly rarer – or more illegal – items hidden under counters or in the pockets of vendors willing to take the risk to turn a decent profit.

Donna parked the car around the corner, well out of sight, and stayed with it to do guard duty, while Harvey and Rachel strolled through the nearly deserted market.It had the look of a place hastily abandoned, with rotting fruit left behind, stray paper blowing across the ground, and stalls empty, but not dismantled and removed.The handful of remaining vendors cast wary looks at the two agents, eying their tactical gear and holstered weapons with suspicion.

Harvey kept his hand on the butt of his weapon, not caring for some of the openly hostile looks they were getting.Procurement agents might not be far up the food chain from these struggling merchants and loiterers, but they were widely considered by them to be another arm of the hated ruling class.He might have taken the time to change into less conspicuous clothing, if they weren’t racing the clock to make it out of the city before nightfall.

So far, his sub-dermal chip had remained quiet.He'd need to remove it, as soon as possible, but right now they had more pressing matters to attend to.

“You sure your guy is still here?” he asked Rachel, voice skeptical.

“He’s never gone back on his word.Not to me.He should back this way, behind the chicken guy … if the chicken guy had stuck around.”

Feathers stuck to their boots and puffed up around them as they passed the stall she had indicted.Harvey tried not to dwell on the thought of all the chicken shit oozing between the treads of his soles.When they rounded a corner, a relieved smile lit Rachel’s face, and she raised a hand to wave at a man lounging against a brick building with a bicycle leaning against the wall beside him.He was nearly as tall as Harvey, with fluffy, blonde hair, a baby face, and tattooed biceps the size of small hams.He scowled at Harvey while Rachel walked right up to him and planted a kiss on his sparsely whiskered cheek.

“Thanks for waiting, Harold,” she said, and gestured at Harvey.“This is the guy I told you about.”

“Everyone knows who Harvey Specter is,” he sneered, his tone making it clear that “everyone” also held Harvey in as much contempt as he did.Harold returned his attention to Rachel.“I wouldn’t do this for anyone else but you.”He took a cagey look around their immediate vicinity.“You have 'em?”

“Yep.Sure do.”She handed a lumpy cloth bag to him, which Harvey knew contained night vision goggles.They weren't hers, but had belonged to Louis before she filched them.He still couldn’t believe she was willing to let those go for a pound of bacon, but he supposed that was her business.

Harold opened the bag and looked inside.A childishly delighted grin split his face.“Cool.These are going to come in handy.”

Harvey could only guess how they would come in handy.He’d probably use them to rob people in dark alleys, or break into their homes in the middle of the night.Again, Harvey reminded himself it was none of his business.In fact, if Harold used his new toy to steal from the rich bastards that ran the city, then Harvey was all for it.

Harold shoved the bag into a backpack, from which he extracted his own package.“It’s nice and fatty,” he assured Rachel as he handed it over to her.“No mold.No rancid bits.First rate stuff.”

“Great.”Now that Rachel had completed the trade, her tone grew curt and businesslike.“Gotta go.And you should get inside, Harold.You heard about Forstman, right?”

“Who hasn’t?Why do you think this place turned into ghost town on its busiest afternoon?Or would that be ghost market?Anyway, after the inevitable storm has passed, we’ll be celebrating plenty.”

The faint sound of an explosion somewhere to the north floated in on the breeze, and they all froze for a few seconds, heads turned in that direction.When no further alarming noises immediately followed, everyone relaxed.

“Okay," said Rachel, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened."Well, take care.”

As Harvey and Rachel turned to leave, Harold called after her, “Will I see you at the next dinner?I’m making fried squirrel.With real squirrel!Wild, not cage raised!”

“Probably not,” she shot back over her shoulder, moving quickly to keep pace with Harvey’s long strides.“So, Harvey, do you think your friend made it?”

“He’s not my friend, exactly.”He’d spotted Benjamin browsing a selection of refurbished socks.“More of a useful upstairs neighbor.”

“Hey, anyone who can navigate the pirate webs and negotiate deals on dark Craigslist is okay in my book.”

“If you’d like to date him, I’m sure he’d be agreeable.Just dab a little raw bacon behind your ears.” 

She had no chance to reply, since they’d reached Benjamin, who was currently haggling a price for the sad looking hosiery.When the vendor spotted Harvey and Rachel, he grabbed his box of wares and made a hasty retreat.

Benjamin stood with his hands on his hips, an exasperated look on his face as he watched him go.“Damn it, Harvey.He was about to give me a great deal on those socks.”

“If you really want shitty socks stripped off the corpses he and his gang have robbed, come back next week.He rarely misses a market day.”Harvey had no idea of any of that was true, but he felt a perverse enjoyment at the look of disgust on Benjamin’s face.“Rachel, show the man his bribe.”

She glanced around to ensure that nobody was paying too close attention to the transaction.She unwrapped a portion of the bacon and let Benjamin see it, and sniff it, and even give it a hungry lick.“Good?” she asked, laughter threading her voice.

Benjamin looked about half a second away from creaming his jeans.He managed to get out, “That’s primo shit.”

Harvey held out his hand expectantly, and Benjamin slapped a folded piece of paper onto his palm.“Name.Address.Coordinates.”He turned back to Rachel.“Gimme.”

He reached for the package of bacon, and cradled it against him as if he had just been handed his first-born son. 

Harvey touched Rachel's arm, and they headed back to the car.Two gunshots came in rapid succession from behind them – approximately two blocks away, Harvey judged – causing them to break into a jog.

Rounding the corner, Harvey frowned in confusion.The car was where they’d left it, but Donna was nowhere to be seen.The front driver's side door was open, the hood was up, and a man sat behind the wheel.Harvey's gun was in his hand before he even realized he'd reached for it.He held up his other hand to warn Rachel, and crept slowly around the back of the car to the driver's side.As he reached the open door, he leveled the barrel of the gun at the side of the man's head, just as a shock of recognition hit him.It was the Disposable.

"How the fuck – " he began.

Donna's voice drifted past the open hood."Okay, now give it some gas."

The merch had frozen, staring back at Harvey, eyes huge and blue."Um," he said.

Donna's head peered around the side of the hood."Didn't you – Oh, hi, Harvey."

"What the fuck, Donna?"

She came out from behind the hood, wiping her hands on a scrap of cloth."Your engine was running rough.Mike suggested I adjust the carburetor's pump linkage, and I think we've just about got it fixed."

All Harvey could manage for several seconds was to blink stupidly at her."What?"He gestured with his Beretta at the merch."Seriously, Donna.What?"

She sighed."I let him out because I was afraid he might suffocate if you left in him in the trunk much longer.Come on, joke's a joke."She gave Harvey a slow wink.

"A what, now?"

"Plus, I figured he knew a thing or two about cars, even if it's been ten years.Nothing new has come out of Detroit for twenty years or more."

Aware that he was repeating himself, still all that Harvey could get out was another strangled, "What?"

"Did you even read his record?Mike was arrested for car theft when he was sixteen."

"So, you thought it would be a good idea to put him in the driver's seat of my car with the key in the ignition?”

"I’m not an idiot.I cuffed him to the door handle."

Harvey growled low in his chest."Houdini here already slipped out of his gag.I'll bet he his shackles were off when you opened the trunk."

"Well … "

"Christ.Give me the key."When Donna only gaped back at him, he snapped his fingers."To the cuffs."

"They're your cuffs."

Still growling, Harvey fumbled in his pocket, found the key and unlocked the cuffs from the door handle.He stepped back and gestured with his gun, avoiding looking at the Disposable's face, or his pretty blues eyes."Back in the trunk."

"Harvey, be reasonable."Donna had stepped forward, as if she intended to get between Harvey and the merch.

"Reasonable?Nothing about this is reasonable.We're smack in the middle of a violent regime change.Jessica probably has half her agents out looking for us.And we have about three hours to make it past the barricades and over the bridge without getting blown up or shot to hell.I don't have time to coddle the mer – "

"Agent," said Donna, talking over him.

"Excuse me?"

"The new agent you recruited this morning."Her eyes had gone wide, and her eyebrows twitched in ways likely meant to express her meaning, but which only made her look like a lunatic.“And you’re right.With all that is going on, do we really have time for the customary hazing?”

When Harvey's stunned silence had lasted a few seconds, Donna looked past him and spoke to Rachel, who stood just out of his line of sight."Humor Harvey and point your gun at Mike while Harvey and I go over here and have a little talk."

Rachel complied, pulling her weapon so quickly it looked as if she’d been doing drills, practicing for just this opportunity.Harvey remained skeptical about her, but figured she could handle herself against one scrawny, cuffed Disposable, so he allowed Donna to drag him halfway down the block.

They could hear sounds of conflict from all directions now, although nothing in their immediate vicinity.Bursts of gunfire, what sounded like flashbang grenades, the scent of smoke, and harsh, static-filled voices projected over loudspeakers filled his awareness.He did his best to block them out, and to focus on Donna, who wore the look she got whenever she was determined to talk him into something he didn't want to do.

She held up a hand."Hear me out, Harvey.We need to get out of the city, correct?Which means we need to get past the barricades before they get locked up at sundown.Right?"

"I am aware."

"Well, you tell me:what's the first thing the guards do when you roll up and flash your agent's badge and travel pass at them?"

She was right.He knew she was right, and it irked him."They check the trunk for contraband."His chip vibrated faintly.He slapped his upper arm and it subsided.Jessica was searching for him, pinging his GPS, but wasn't close yet.Donna had seen his reaction, he knew, but he ignored that problem for the moment."So, yes, okay.Point taken.We can't get through with the merch in the trunk."

"He does have a name."

"Not relevant.You called him an agent.Explain.What's your plan?"

His chip pinged again, more forcefully, and he winced.At Donna's pointed look, he growled, "In a minute.First, answer the question."

"If we want the guards at the gate to believe Mike is a part of the team, we need him to appear cooperative, which means we actually need him to be cooperative."

Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose.Except for Jessica, and possibly Louis, Donna was the best strategist the firm had, but at times Harvey found it painful to follow all of her tortuous logic."We're dragging him to Chicago to potentially get his heart cut out of his chest.I wouldn't cooperate with that.Would you?"

She used one finger to thwack him in the middle of his forehead."He doesn't have to know the real reason for our trip.We wouldn't be the first firm to recruit our agents from Rikers. That's got to be common knowledge on the inside, so I convinced him that's why he's here."

“How did you explain the trunk?And the handcuffs?”

“Rookie hazing.”

"And he's okay with that?"He hadn't meant to sound so incredulous.

"Hey, he's out of prison.And unlike you, some people actually think this is a pretty good gig."

"It was once.Things have changed, and the way things are headed, in five years we'll be nothing more than glorified contract killers."His long dormant conscience whispered that they'd already reached that point, but he ordered his conscience to shut the hell up.Right now, he couldn't afford to be squeamish.He needed the commission on their prize piece of merchandise."Whatever.It's fine.You're right, as usual."

A sharp jolt of electricity raced down his arms, and his knees buckled.He held onto Donna's shoulder to keep from landing on his ass."Shit.They're close."

"Enough talk," she declared."Time to get that chip out of you before this whole conversation becomes moot."

“Wait.What about Rachel?”

“I explained the plan to her before we left the warehouse.Don’t worry about her.She knows what to do.”

Donna hustled Harvey back to the car as surge after surge hit him.The intensity told him that whoever held the controls was about five blocks away.He was only peripherally aware of Rachel and the merch – correction, Mike, the new agent trainee, apparently – seated in the front seat, chatting together like old friends.

Harvey flung himself into the passenger side back seat, clenching his jaw to prevent his teeth from grinding together."We have to get out of here.You."He gestured at Mike."Put it in gear and drive fast."

Wide blue eyes stared back at Harvey.Mike didn't move for several seconds."Um," he finally said, "I don't actually know how to drive."

The pain was constant, and building.To make matters worse, Harvey felt the beginnings of a full-blown panic attack bearing down on him."Bullshit.You were a fucking car thief!"

Mike shrugged, a helpless smile making him look ridiculously cute.“What can I say?I hot-wired them.My partner did the driving.”

Harvey groaned.His vision whited out.“Donna …”

“I’ll drive.Mike get in the back with Harvey.”

Harvey’s eyes were squeezed shut, but he heard and felt them rearranging their seating.

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Mike, now only inches away from Harvey.

Donna answered for him.“He’s got a tracker chip.Deluxe model they haven’t made for decades, with remote vibration and discipline feature.”

“Dude,” said Mike, with feeling. 

“Yep.”Donna put the car in gear and shot away from the curb.“A relic from his days as a certified bad boy.We’re sort of being chased by the person who has his controls.”

“You should take it out.”

Panting harshly, Harvey managed to get out, “No shit.Kind of an inconvenient time for minor surgery.”The electric buzz in his arm let up some.“It’s better.Drive for another five minutes and pull over.How fast do you think you can dig it out?”

He saw Donna grimace and shake her head.“I’ve never actually done it before.”

“I have.”

Harvey turned his head to stare at Mike.“You’ve successfully removed a sub-dermal, and yet you can’t drive?”

An uncertain laugh.“Sure.It’s easy if you know how.I took out two of my own.”

“Two?”Harvey didn’t want to believe him, but he could usually sniff out a lie, and this kid reeked of truth.

“I was in the system for five years before my arrest.I kept running away, and they kept dragging me back.Here.Let me see.”

Harvey eyed him suspiciously.

"Don't be shy," Mike said.

Harvey sighed loudly, but dropped his hand and pushed up the sleeve of his t-shirt.As the fabric cleared his bicep, he noticed Mike staring.Realizing he’d been caught, he colored slightly, but didn’t react otherwise.

He scooted closer to Harvey.

“Fucking fuck,” muttered Donna, and Harvey glanced up.

A troop of mercenary soldiers blocked the street in front of them.Without warning, Donna cranked the wheel, sending them down a side street, and sending Mike sliding into Harvey’s side.

“Careful,” said Harvey.He put a hand on Mike’s arm to help him upright, and then had a difficult time convincing himself to let go.

“Thanks,” said Mike.“Now let’s see what we’ve got.He set his fingertips against Harvey’s upper arm and kneaded lightly, palpating, and walking his fingers along the flesh in small increments. 

A shiver went through Harvey.He ignored it.No time for that.And no way could he be attracted to his valuable merchandise.That would be a disaster.He watched Mike’s face, fascinated in spite of himself by the intense concentration he saw there.

“Got it,” Mike finally declared.“Anybody got a pen?”

Rachel passed one back, and Mike made a small “x” on Harvey’s skin.

Mike gave Harvey a sweet, reassuring smile.“Who has a scalpel? Knife?Rusty screwdriver?”

Rachel grinned over the seat at Mike.“We’re the finest procurement firm in Manhattan.We travel with only the best.”She handed Mike the first aid kit that Harvey kept underneath the driver’s seat.

Donna had found a clear, straight patch of road that ran north, paralleling the river.

Mike opened the kit and whistled appreciatively.“Bandages.Anti-biotics.”He lifted out the field scalpel.“A sharp, slicey thing.”He tested it with his thumb and gasped when he drew blood.As he sucked it clean, he smirked at Harvey around his thumb.“I can work with this.Hey, Donna?If you can keep it straight and smooth, I think I can – “

She hit a pothole and whatever else Mike meant to say was swallowed in his surprised squeak as he launched about two inches off the seat.

"Okay, maybe not." 

“There’s an alley up here,” said Donna, “open on both ends.Assuming there’s only one team after us, we can get out either way if they try to box us in.”

“Big if,” commented Mike.“No worries.I’ll have this out in less than five.”

He swiped disinfectant on Harvey’s arm, lingering a little longer than necessary over his bicep, in Harvey’s opinion.

“You want some of these opes first?Looks like you’ve got the whole family – oxy, morphine, and oh baby, the big H itself.I think I’m in love.”

“Put it back,” Harvey ordered.“And no, I’ll do without for now.I need to stay sharp, at least until we make it out of the city.”

“So Donna and Rachel weren't lying about that?What?Don’t give me that look.People lie to me constantly.All three of you are in agreement, so I believe you.Cool.Where we going?What’s the job?What’s my cut?”

The car slowed, turned into the alley, and rolled to a stop.

“The only cut,” said Harvey, “that you need to worry about is the one you're about to make in my arm.I’m warning you, if you butcher me, or leave more than a small, discreet scar, I’ll …”He hesitated, mulling over the most effective threat which would still keep Mike cooperative until they got out, and settled for, "I’ll take you back to Rikers.”

That did the trick.Mike snapped his mouth shut and his face grew grim.“Noted,” he said, and set the blade against Harvey’s arm."So, I don't know how much you know about these things.They're super conductive, so I can't touch it with the metal scalpel.That means I have to nip away underneath it and flick it out before you get a huge, ugly shock."

"Fantastic."

"This is going to hurt.I hope the sight of blood doesn't make you faint.Whoops.Hold still."

Mike went quiet for a minute or so, which was fortunate, since Harvey had been close to clapping his free hand over the kid's mouth to shut him up.At least he had a deft touch.The cuts hurt, but nothing that Harvey couldn't handle.He'd performed field surgery on himself enough times that he was used to a little pain by now.

"Okay," murmured Mike, his warm breath wafting against Harvey's skin."Just a little further and – oh my god!"A pause, and then he cracked up laughing."Shit.I'm sorry.Had to do it.You should see your face right now."

Harvey shook his head, unamused."God, you're an asshole.Have you got that thing out yet?"

He looked down at his arm just in time to see Mike give the scalpel a flick, and a tiny, dark, bloody glob flew forward and stuck to the back of the front seat.Immediately, Mike pressed a folded square of gauze to the wound while Harvey picked up the chip between forefinger and thumb.

"I should give you a few stitches, just to be on the safe side," said Mike."What?I know what I'm doing.I sewed up Trevor a dozen times, and did the same for a bunch of the cons on my block."

"Then do it."Harvey shifted his attention to Donna, gesturing with the chip."Ideally, we should tape this to a rat, and let Jessica and Louis chase that for a while."

She wrinkled her nose at him."The way Louis handles the controller, he'd barbeque the poor little rodent.Just toss it out the window.We need to get moving.We have to find enough bio to get us to Chicago.The intel on the roads between here and there are sketchy, at best."

Harvey opened the door and shook his hand until the bloody chip let go and fell to the ground.Mike was leaned in close to him.Harvey winced at the first sharp bite of the needle.He endured several long minutes of teeth-grinding pain, after which Mike applied more antiseptic and bandaged him up.

“Sure you don’t want some oxy or something,” asked Mike, eyeing him with sympathy while he packed the first aid kit back up.

The offer was tempting, but Harvey knew the throbbing pain would subside eventually.“I’m good.And give that kit back to Rachel.We all need to stay alert.”

After Mike handed the kit back over the seat, he settled back in his seat.“I do have a few questions.If this is a good time …”

“It’s not.Save your questions for later.Right now, we need to get moving.We have a lot to do if we’re going to make it out of the city tonight.”


	4. Chapter 4

The sun inched closer to the horizon, and the exposed steel towers of the George Washington bridge threw slanted shadows across the sluggish, filthy water of the Hudson River.Overhead, an equally filthy atmosphere facilitated another spectacular show of bruised purple, vivid orange, and molten red.The factories of Asia and Mexico and Canada continued to contaminate the atmosphere unabated, even after nearly all of the factories in the former United States ground to a halt and remained dark.That had been twenty years ago, give or take.When the depression first hit, few people realized that the end of the line had been reached for the great American experiment.

Texas had been the first to secede, which had occurred with surprisingly little outcry.Florida went next, then California, the combined western portions of Oregon and Washington, and then Alaska and Pennsylvania.The remaining southern states all went in one bloc, only to splinter off from one another, piece by piece.The federal government hung on as long it could, pretending to retain power, but it couldn't hold together without adequate revenue.One winter fifteen years ago, everyone packed up and went home, and that was it.Game over.

Harvey remembered the riots, and the hunger, and the bloody scramble for scarce resources.By the time the wealthiest families of New York declared themselves in charge, citizens who might have once protested had grown weary of the struggle and the uncertainty, and welcomed the return of order, even if it meant the institutionalization of extreme stratification.

Or, in blunter terms, the rich got richer.And the poor could go fuck themselves.

Harvey sat behind the wheel of the limousine, with Donna beside him, and Mike and Rachel in the back seat, all of them staring intently at the bridge.They’d spent two hours visiting black market sources to obtain supplies, including fuel, for the trip.These days, petroleum-based gasoline was rarer than gold, and only available to the wealthy ruling families.Anyone else lucky enough to own a car had been forced years ago to convert to plant-based fuel.In a crisis such as the current one gripping the city, prices had already doubled.They'd been forced to trade a box of ammunition for enough jugs of fuel to make it to Chicago.They’d have to figure out how to get home when the time came.

Donna broke the silence."What's the plan, Harvey?"

He shifted in his seat to face her, setting off a twinge of pain in his arm underneath the neat bandage Mike had applied to the incision."I still have my PA badge, and the pass I used for the job in New Jersey hasn't expired yet.Plus, if Clifford is manning the gate, he still owes me a favor.I say we just bullshit our way through."

"Ah," said Donna, "the old bullshit play.I like it.We'd better hurry, before they lock up for the night."She adjusted the mirror on the visor so she could watch Mike, who sat directly behind her."Okay, rookie, let's review.What's your role here?"

"Um.Shut up and look both tough and non-threatening?"

"Very good.I wish I had a treat to give you."

"Ha.No worries.I haven't had this much fun in years."

Harvey hid his smile.This was the kid's idea of fun?Maybe they should recruit him as an agent after all.Harvey could remember when he had gotten a thrill from the excitement and danger of his job.Not anymore.

As Mike had been digging around his arm, Harvey had reached a decision.Whatever the outcome, this would be his last job.If the bounty on Mike didn't yield enough to buy his property, he'd leave New York anyway.He could always join one of the bands of itinerant beggars, wandering the continent and preaching about the end of the world.

Or maybe not.He gave his head a quick shake to rid it of ridiculous thoughts.

"How about you Rachel?"Donna turned her attention to the other trainee."Are you ready for this?"

"Born ready.I'm going to smile pretty, bat my eyelashes, and if things go sideways, shoot anything that moves on my side of the car."

Donna grinned at Harvey, placing a hand over her heart."They grow up so fast."She wiped away a fake tear."So proud of them."

Harvey rolled his eyes and put the car in gear.In two minutes, they reached the guard post, and he kept the motor running and his foot on the brake while they waited for one of the guards to leave the gatehouse and stroll over to them.Relief filled Harvey as he recognized Clifford Danner.Eight years ago, he'd saved him from prison and helped him get this job.This was going to be easy.

"Harvey," said Clifford, sounding surprised."Didn't you just get back?Did you forget something in Jersey?"

"If Gionopoulos wants fresh fruit, who am I to deny him?"

"Yeah, I get you.Even in the middle of a minor war, those rich fucks still gotta have the best of the best.I'm going to need to see your pass, though.We've got strict orders to only allow essential traffic through."

Harvey handed him his badge, and the pass he'd used on his last trip to Jersey.Technically, for a return trip he should have paid another bribe and had the pass date-stamped again, but he was counting on Clifford cutting him some slack.As he'd hoped, the guard only gave it a cursory glance and handed it back to Harvey.He did, however, give the three other occupants of the car a curious look.

"Pretty big crew just to visit a farming collective."

"It's not the pickup that Jessica is concerned about.It's the delivery.You know, the situation in the city being what it is."

"Fair enough.You want to turn off the engine and pop the trunk for me?And I'm going to need you all to step out of the car."

"It's okay," Harvey heard Rachel whisper to Mike.After shutting off the engine and putting the car in park, he glanced back and took note of the worried look on the kid's face, and the tension in his shoulders.Harvey realized it was the sight of the guards that had him on edge.Their uniforms were similar to those worn at Rikers.

"This is standard procedure," Harvey assured him."Just cooperate, do whatever they ask, and we'll be on our way in no time at all."

The four of them climbed out of the car and stood by as Clifford methodically searched the car.If he harbored any suspicions about the quantity of plastic jugs of fuel he found in the trunk, he kept that to himself.

While they waited, Harvey kept an eye on the road behind them.No other cars waited to cross the bridge.He supposed most of the population of Manhattan remained hunkered down in their homes, waiting for the sporadic gun battles and explosions around the city to stop, and for the smoke to clear, both literally and figuratively.He heard the trunk slam shut, and Clifford gave them the all clear.They were good to go.

Harvey had perhaps half a second to feel relief, when a black SUV appeared in the gloom behind them, speeding toward the gate.

Even from this distance, he recognized the car as Travis Tanner’s.“Fuck,” he muttered.“We need to move.Now.Get in the car.”

As the others hustled to take their places, Harvey withdrew a gold coin from his pocket.“Take this Clifford.”He pressed the coin into the guard’s palm.“If you could inform the driver of that SUV that will arrive in about two minutes that he’s missed the deadline to cross, I would really appreciate it.”

Clifford grinned at Harvey.“You got it, man.Have a successful trip.”

Harvey dropped behind the wheel and started the engine."Buckle up, kids." He waited impatiently for the few seconds it took for Danner to get the gate open, and then jammed the accelerator to the floor, fishtailing as they shot forward.

Only the top lanes of the GW remained accessible.The lower part of the double-decker bridge had been blocked off years earlier in the interests of better regulating traffic in and out of the city.Likewise, the Lincoln Tunnel had been completely filled with garbage.Only rats and desperate vagrants ventured there anymore.

Harvey kept one eye on the rearview mirror, but it was too dark, they were too far away by the time Tanner reached the gate, to see how the confrontation went down.For Clifford's sake, he hoped Travis Tanner wasn't too insistent about getting through tonight.On the other hand, Clifford had three other guards to back him up if it became necessary.

Now that Harvey had a little breathing space to think about it, he realized he couldn't actually be sure that Tanner was following him.Maybe he had a legitimate reason to travel to New Jersey, completely unrelated to Harvey or Mike.How would he even know about the buyer in Chicago?They couldn't take that chance, though.They'd have to drive through the night to keep ahead of him.With three drivers on board, they could switch off, and take it in shifts.

A couple hours or less would put them at the East Penn border.Harvey hadn't ventured into any of the Pennsylvanias (East, West or Central) for over seven years.Since the Amish had militarized, the three sections remained at constant war with one another, and alliances periodically shifted.Maybe it would be better if they took a break before making the crossing.They'd still retain a sizeable head start on Tanner (if he was on their trail), and daylight would help them decide whether to attempt the Pennsylvania route, or detour down to Delaware and Maryland.He'd heard the situation around the former capital had improved, but the thought of making their way through the lawless anarchy of the two Virginias sounded even more daunting than the Ohio Badlands.

Thoughts and strategies circled around in his head, but he found it next to impossible to land on a firm decision, especially with the hot throbbing in his arm distracting him, along with the tightening in his chest signaling a dormant panic attack threatening to break free again.He took deep, slow, breaths, reminding himself that he didn't have to solve everything at once.He'd been in worse jams and come out the other side in one piece.

They reached the far side of the bridge, and Harvey slapped a handful of obsolete U.S. silver and copper coins into the palm of the gatekeeper who was waiting on the other side in a tattered lawn chair.The gatekeepers might appear more casual on the New Jersey side, but if you failed to pay the requisite bribes, their automatic weapons made a speedy enough appearance.He half-expected the bribe-taker to demand double the usual, but maybe they hadn't gotten word yet of the situation across the bridge.Maybe said situation would be resolved by the time they got back.

If he even returned with Donna and Rachel.

He could always find his own transportation, and just keep heading west.That idea held appeal.If Mike's heart passed the type and crossmatch tests in Chicago, and became the jackpot Harvey was hoping for, he could do just that.Mike, who was chattering away in the backseat with Rachel, as if he'd saved up a lifetime of stories and jokes and observations, and needed to get them out all in one swift go.Harvey's arm throbbed more insistently.Making a decision, he pulled the car to the side of the road and put it in park.

"Can you drive for a couple hours?" he asked Donna."I'm still running on fumes from last night."

She climbed over him, and he slid into the passenger seat.He debated briefly with himself."Hand me the first aid kit."

Reaching under her seat, she got it for him, and he selected an oxy from it, thought about breaking it in half, but dry-swallowed the whole thing.He could handle the pain on his own, but the med would help him sleep.Donna stowed the kit back in its spot.

"What route?" she asked.

"Straight west.We'll take a rest stop at the East Penn border.Wake me up then.You can spend your drive time coming up with a plan to thwart the Mighty Amish Army."

"Don't scoff.An AR-15 shoots just as straight from a horse and buggy as it does from the window of a car."

"Whatever.Let's hope we can avoid all the shooting.We must have something we can bribe them with.Besides Rachel, that is."

Ignoring the indignant squawk behind him, he put his seat back, resolutely refusing to dwell on how close this brought his head to Mike's long legs.

The hummed down the dark, empty highway, the oxy began to works its way into his bloodstream, and he settled in for a nap.Behind him, Mike and Rachel continued to talk nonstop.Harvey might have ordered them to shut up, but he found it weirdly soothing to hear Mike's soft laugh, and to let his words wind themselves around his exhausted brain.

"What was prison like?" Rachel asked.

A brief silence."The first couple of years were … not good.Once I figured it out, things improved."

"What did you figure out?"

"How to form alliances.How to make myself indispensable and stop being a victim."

"And?How did you manage that?"

A soft laugh from Mike."Luck.My second year in, a bunch of the resident idiots rioted and set fire to the east block.The whole library burned – books, ebooks, DVD's, magazines, everything.No more book privileges.No more movie night. It was a real big fucking deal.Guys were losing their minds.So I stepped up and offered my services."

"I don't get it.What could you do?"

"I have this gift, which is also sometimes a curse.I remember … everything.Books I've read, movies I've seen, you name it.So I became the entertainment.In exchange for improvements in my situation, I 'read' books from memory.For larger payments, I'd perform a whole movie, all the parts.That was exhausting, so I didn't do it often.A couple of guys even had me transcribe some of their favorite works so they could read them whenever they wanted."

A pause."Bullshit," said Rachel, laughter threading her voice."Cool story though."

"I'll prove it to you right now.Name a book.Chances are good I've read it."

"Fine.How about … _War and Peace_?"

"Piece of cake."

"Wait, though.Not the first chapter.You could have memorized all the first pages of famous books just to trick people.Let's say … chapter three, paragragh two."

"You got it:' _The vicomte was a nice-looking young man with soft features and polished manners, who evidently considered himself a celebrity but out of politeness modestly placed himself at the disposal of the circle in which he found himself. Anna Pávlovna was obviously serving him up as a treat to her guests. As a clever maître d'hôtel serves up as a specially choice delicacy a piece of meat that no one who had seen it in the kitchen would have cared to eat, so Anna Pávlovna served up to her guests, first the vicomte and then the abbé, as peculiarly choice morsels_.'How was that?"

"Okay, I'm officially impressed.Do another one.No … Do a movie.Just part of one? _Please_?"

As they negotiated over which movie Mike would reenact, the pain in Harvey's arm gradually dulled.His sense of impending catastrophe also receded, and he drifted to sleep to the sounds of Mike's bad Stallone impression and Rachel's delighted giggles.

******

"Harvey."A hand jiggled his knee."Harvey.Time to wake up."

He struggled his way up and out of his nice oxy stupor, and cracked one eye open.What he saw brought him to full awareness, and he straightened in his seat."Ah, Donna?Didn't I tell you to stop before the border?"

Their headlights illuminated half a dozen bearded men in sober, homespun clothing and black, flat-brimmed hats standing in front of the car.They held various types of guns, including two AR-15's, all pointing at the limousine.A glance in the rearview mirror showed more Amish soldiers materializing out of the woods.They were surrounded.

"Apparently," Donna said, talking out of the side of her mouth, "the borders have been adjusted recently.I'm guessing we crossed into East Penn a while ago."

The men outside the car looked distinctly hostile, but they hadn't shot them yet, so Harvey judged that they might be open to negotiation.He rolled down his window a few inches."Good, uh, eventide."Donna gave a snort of laughter, and Harvey shot her a severe look."Do you want to handle the parley?" 

"I don't think this is a parley, so much as a stick-up."

Laughter erupted from the peanut gallery in the backseat.

"I'm getting out of the car," Harvey called out."Anybody got a problem with that?"

One of the AR-15 wielders, an older man, stepped forward."Disarm yourself first, English."

"I will if you will," he muttered under his breath.He made a show of removing his Beretta from his thigh holster and leaving it on the seat, but left the .22 in his ankle holster where it was.Slowly, he opened the door, and got out, holding his hands in front of himself."We don't want any trouble.Me and my friends are heading west.Just passing through."

"Passing through to where?"

Harvey couldn't see any point in lying."Chicago.On business."

"You said these were your friends."

"Friends.Colleagues.Potato, po-tah-to."

"You carry potatoes?"

Harvey swallowed a laugh at the sudden eagerness in his voice.The man looked deadly serious.Maybe they were low on food here in the war torn Pennsylvanias."No.Just a figure of speech.So, look, we would have stopped at the border to ask permission to enter, but someone moved it on us.My sincere apologies for the error.I'll ask you now:may we have permission to pass through your lands?"

Low grumbling came from the troop of Amish.Their leader spoke again."How do we know you're not on your way to join the Western-Central alliance?You have the look of mercenaries about you, save that one."He gestured with the barrel of his gun at Mike."That one dresses like a criminal.If he be your friend, does not that make you all criminals?"

Harvey thought rapidly.He stepped closer, moving with deliberation, having no wish to alarm any of the Amish into shooting him.He lowered his voice, so that it would not carry back to the car."You're very observant.In fact, we are delivering him to face trial in Chicago for his many terrible crimes.Believe me, you do not want him hanging around here.He's as dangerous as it gets."

"And yet you leave him unrestrained."

"Between the three of us, we can handle him fine.As to your other objection, we have no desire to become involved in your war.We plan to deliver the prisoner, and then head straight back home."Something else occurred to him."And if you're worried that we hail from New Jersey, and have come looking for a fight over your recently acquired territory, don't be.We’re from New York.You can have New Jersey for all I care."That wasn't true, but if it put their minds at ease, he'd say just about anything.

More Amish grumbling. Finally, the leader spoke once again to Harvey."We will let you pass, with three conditions.First, you must pay a toll in the form of your handgun.Second, the woman must not drive.That goes directly against our way of life here.Third, an escort will lead you through our territory, and ensure that you cause no mischief.Will you abide by these conditions?"

Losing his Beretta irked him, but he could live without it.He had three other guns hidden in the limo that not even Donna knew about.Donna might get into a snit about the driving rule, but he could deal with her.The escort, though …

"I agree to the first two conditions.We are in too much of a hurry, though, to slow our speed to accommodate your escort."

The man laughed grimly."Don’t worry about that.Ever since the schism began, we have been forced to adapt.I don’t believe you will find the speed of your escorts to be a problem."He pointed at four of the men behind him, and they disappeared into the thick undergrowth beside the road.

Harvey blinked in surprise at the sight of four motorcycles being pushed from their hiding place and onto the road."Okay, then.Objection withdrawn."Obviously the Amish had adapted more than he'd realized.He turned to go back to the car.

"I'll have your gun, English."

He hadn't forgotten.He retrieved it from the limo, handed it, butt first, to the Amish commander, and then returned to the car. 

"Scoot over," he ordered Donna."Evidently you’re not allowed to drive in East Penn."

He took the vacated seat behind the wheel.

"Because I'm a woman?" she asked.

"Got it in one."

"Damn.I would have checked my uterus at the border if I'd only known."

"I doubt they'd want it.Just don't misuse it while you're here."

She snorted."East Penn.Come for the war.Stay for the repression."

Mike piped in from the back seat, "Help, help, I'm being repressed!"

Both he and Rachel cracked up.

Harvey found it less funny.If Mike only knew the truth.He exchanged a look with Donna, who appeared just as troubled as he felt.He shook off the feeling.Now was not the time to lose his resolve.He put the car in gear and continued down the road, which had cleared of the Amish soldiers.One of the motorcycles pulled in front of him to lead the way, and the remaining three fell into formation behind them.The black hats of the riders had been replaced with helmets.

"If someone doesn't rename them the 'Armish'," Mike commented _sotto voce_ , "that is a tragic missed opportunity."

This time, even Donna laughed at the joke.Harvey didn't laugh.He only wanted this godforsaken job over and done with.

******

They drove through a countryside in near total darkness, lit only by the headlights of car and motorcycles, and the stars and half-moon that played hide and seek behind shifting clouds in the sky.

“Where is everybody?” asked Mike into the silence.“I’m pretty sure Pennsylvania had more than just the Amish living here before the schism.Where did they all go?”

It was Donna that answered him.“We’re passing between Scranton to the north, and Allentown to the south.Philadelphia is further south, and Pittsburgh is further west.They are all still sizeable population centers, but with the current situation in the countryside, those population centers function more as city-states, each negotiating their own deals with the armies.Also, a lot of people simply left the area when war broke out.Rumors of better lives always swirl around the former states, particularly the ones out west.Isn’t that right, Harvey?”

He ignored her, and concentrated on his driving and his growing unease.Something was not sitting right in his gut.With the cloud cover, it was difficult to judge what direction they were heading.Initially, it had been almost straight west.A few hours into the drive, the lead motorcycle turned off the main highway.The new road still appeared wide and well-travelled, but after the first few miles, it began to meander.

Another turn took them onto a narrower street.Thick trees and undergrowth pressed in toward the road, occasionally brushing the sides of the limo as it passed.

“Does this seem right to you?” he finally asked quietly.He kept his voice low, as Mike and Rachel had fallen asleep in the back seat.

“You noticed too, huh?I’m starting to think possible ambush.”

“Fuck,” he muttered.“So much for our safe passage.If you can’t trust the Amish …Hand me that .45 in the glovebox.Under the ammo.That latch on the right side opens a compartment on the bottom.”

Donna fiddled inside the glove box for a few seconds.Harvey could tell when she found the hidden compartment.Her eyebrows lifted delicately, and she gave an appreciative hum.“You sly dog.”She lifted out the Kimber and held it up to sight down the barrel.“Not bad.”

“Check the mag,” he ordered.“Make sure a round is chambered.”

She did as he’d asked, and handed the weapon over to him.

“I assume that puny .38 revolver you call a gun is fully loaded?” he asked.

“Psshh.Gun snob.”She jerked her head toward the back seat.“What about them?”

“I saw what Rachel is packing.No worries there.”

“And Mike?”

He breathed out sharply.“What about him?He can’t even drive a car.You think I’d trust him with a gun?Even if …”

He didn’t have to finish the thought.They both knew what he meant.Even if Mike wasn’t their unwitting prisoner whose fate at the end of the line was likely about as gruesome as it got.

“If you don’t, he’s going to grow suspicious,” she pointed out.

He’d thought they were speaking low enough, and so jumped guiltily at the quiet question from the backseat.

“Suspicious about what, exactly?”

Mike was awake.

Harvey opened his mouth, searching for a reassuring lie to feed Mike, but at that moment the lead motorcycle came to a stop, forcing him to slam on the brakes.The other three riders surrounded the car, one on either side, and the fourth one behind them.They had their weapons trained on the car.

“Shit.” Harvey slapped the steering wheel in frustration.

“I know how to handle a weapon,” Mike said.“I was taught by some of the best criminals in Rikers.If this turns into a gunfight, you’re going to need me.”When Harvey did not immediately answer, he added, “I’m a dead shot.But you knew that, right?I assumed that was why you chose me.”

The lead motorcycle rider yelled to them, “Get out of the car with your hands in the air.Now.”

Harvey groaned low in his chest.He considered for about half a second giving Mike the .22 strapped to his ankle, but decided he couldn’t risk it.Maybe they could get out of this without it devolving into a gunfight.He cracked the window on his side of the car.

“What do you want?” he called out the window.“Your leader promised us safe passage.”

“Hiram doesn’t speak for all of us.We require our own payment for services rendered.You can continue on your way unharmed if you give us the woman.”

Rachel was awake now too.He heard her enraged gasp from behind him.“Not this shit again,” she ground out.And then more loudly, “Forget it!I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The leader stepped closer, pointing his handgun directly at Harvey’s head.

“Not that one,” the Amish man said.“The white one.Despite her age, she looks as if she’d breed well with us.”

“Oh great,” said Donna through gritted teeth, “a sexist and a racist.Tell him I’m sterile.That oughta change his mind.”

“Maybe,” said Harvey, “I’ll just tell him you’re a supreme pain in the ass.”

“What do you hotshots PA’s normally do in a situation like this?” asked Mike, not sounding frightened, only curious.

Harvey spared him a quick glance.“If they start shooting, we shoot back.The windows are bullet-resistant.They’ll shatter eventually, if enough bullets strike them, but they’ll buy us some time.Rachel, you take out the guy on that side first.I’ll take the guy in front.Donna, you take the one on the right.Ready?”

“Your math is a little off,” Mike pointed out.“That still leaves the guy behind us.Give me a gun and I’ll take care of him, no problem.”

“Not possible.You’re still on probation.You’re only job is to watch and learn.”

“That’s crap.We’re kind of in the middle of a situation here.You sure this is the best time to be a rule-following hard ass?”

Harvey was spared from having to answer when the man in front of them fired off a shot at the front left tire.The car jounced and then sunk down on Harvey’s side.

“Goddamn it.”He stuck his gun out the window and fired three rapid rounds at the man without taking time to aim.The Amish fell backwards, whether to lessen the target he made, or because he’d been hit, Harvey couldn’t be certain.

Loud gunshots reverberated inside the confines of the car, as Donna and Rachel returned fire out their windows.Slightly muffled shots echoed outside the car.The newly installed back window cracked down the middle, and Harvey cursed.He barely had time to regret not giving Mike a weapon when Mike leaned halfway out his open window, contorting his body, and fired once.In his rearview mirror, Harvey saw the rearguard grab his leg and fall to the ground.

“Where the hell did you get that gun?” asked Harvey.Mike was holding Harvey's Trump Eagle .22, grinning and looking ridiculously, attractively smug.

“I found the secret compartment in your door.Not so secret, dude.”He shifted his weight to lean across Rachel, and shot her persistent attacker in the foot.“The sight is a little off on this thing.I was aiming for that first guy’s arm.And what is with the tiny grip?It feels like it was made for the hands of an infant.”

Harvey’s snarky reply died on his lips when Donna suddenly threw open her door and jumped out of the car.

“Shit, Donna.What the hell are you doing?Get back in here.”

Instead of obeying, she marched right up to her assigned target, who Harvey now saw was desperately trying to unjam his weapon.Donna pointed her revolver at his forehead, mere inches away.“Drop your weapon, motherfucker.”

He did so immediately, and raised his hands.Apparently not satisfied, Donna kicked out and up with her booted foot, connecting with his groin, and causing him to drop to his knees, doubled over in pain.

“Still want to make babies with me, asshole?” she asked.

Harvey didn’t need to order Rachel and Mike out of the car.They were already moving.Harvey kicked the gun away from the downed leader, and Rachel and Mike disarmed the other two.For a moment, Harvey worried that he might have to disarm Donna as well, but she seemed to be cooling down.She tucked her prisoner’s weapon in her waistband and smirked at Harvey.

Harvey dragged his unconscious prisoner to the side of the road and rolled him onto his stomach.With help from Donna, Rachel and Mike, he lined the other three Amish soldiers up next to him, also face down on the ground, and considered what do to with them.

“I say we shoot them all,” Rachel suggested.

“Second,” added Donna.

“Veto,” said Harvey, not bothering to hide his weariness."Jesus, why so bloodthirsty?"Then, because he was curious, he looked across the row of prisoners at Mike.“What would you do, Rookie?”

Mike appeared to ponder the question.“If I knew how to ride one of these things, I’d suggest we ditch the car and steal the bikes.We could make better time, and we could split up if anyone else threatens us.But, since I can’t ride, I’ll say strip the non-bloody one so I can change out of my shitty prison clothes into some less conspicuous but just as shitty homemade duds.Then zip tie them all and leave them for someone to find.”

“Damn your eyes, English scum," the prisoner rasped out, still recovering from Donna's kick."My mother sewed these clothes for me with her own hands.”

“Surprisingly sensible advice,” Harvey allowed, ignoring the protest.He pointed his gun at the man who had spoken.“You heard him.Strip.”

It took a few well-aimed kicks and colorful threats to convince the man to comply, but eventually he did.Mike removed his own clothes with the speed and manner of a snake years overdue in shedding its old skin, and without a hint of shyness.

Harvey did not even try to hide his interested perusal of Mike’s naked body.He was too thin, but lithely muscled.Old bruises marred his smooth, pale skin, along with half a dozen scars which made Harvey want to hear the story of each one.He admired Mike’s long, cut cock, trying to imagine how it might taste, what it might feel like inside of him, what sounds of strangled pleasure Mike might make if Harvey put him on his knees and fucked him.

He only ceased his staring once Mike had clothed himself in the homespun clothes.

“They look better on you,” Rachel commented.

Harvey agreed, but didn’t say so out loud.He silently berated himself for the direction his thoughts had taken.Although circumstances required he treat Mike as a member of his team, he needed to keep the reality crystal clear inside his own mind:the kid was a Disposable, spare parts for the buyer in Chicago, and potentially Harvey’s ticket to achieving his goal of escape.He needed to keep his distance, emotionally at least, even if they were stuck together in the car for several more days.

Once the prisoners were all secure, Harvey approached Mike, holding his hand out, palm up.“The gun,” he said.“I’ll need that back.”

Mike’s chin came up, and he stared back at Harvey, defiant.“Why?I proved myself with it just now.”He lowered his voice so that it wouldn’t carry to the other side of the car, where Rachel and Donna were busy removing the ruined tire and replacing it with the spare.“In case it escaped your notice, Rachel choked, when the time came.She was bragging to me about her perfect scores at the range, but just now she couldn’t hit the side of a goddamned barn.”

Harvey hesitated.Mike made a valid point.Yes, Harvey had noticed, but chalked it up to first time jitters.Shooting at a target was easier than putting bullets into warm flesh.Could he count on Rachel next time?

“You never answered my question, by the way,” Mike added.

“What question?”

“What is it that I’m supposed to be suspicious about?”

“Nothing that concerns you.Donna likes to do this hazing thing to new recruits.”

“Like locking them up in the trunk.I know.You told me already.Hilarious.”

“We all went through it.”The lies rolled smoothly enough off his tongue, but Mike continued to look skeptical.“It's all part of the curriculum.We need to make sure you’ve got what it takes to work for Jessica, and that you can think on your feet.”

The edges of Mike’s mouth turned down as he shook his head, causing Harvey to realize how much he preferred him with his sunny smile.

“I survived ten years in Rikers,” Mike said.“They put me inside when I was sixteen.I should have been dead within a month, but here I am.If you think I’m going to blow this opportunity you’ve given me to keep my freedom, you’re crazy.”

Harvey sighed.“Fine.Fair enough.How about a compromise?Put the Trump Eagle back where you found it, and leave it there unless we run into more trouble.Deal?”

Mike’s smile reappeared, so bright and happy that Harvey had to look away.

“Deal.And since I haven’t had the chance yet, I just want you to know how grateful I am to you for giving me this second chance at life, and getting me out of that sewer.”

Mike climbed into the backseat, leaving Harvey standing in the dark, in the middle of a war zone, with three wounded soldiers and one pissed off naked one lying six feet away, not thinking about anything except how glad he was that Charles Forstman would never get a crack at those exquisite blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> (And apologies to the Amish.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha ... almost forgot I was supposed to post a chapter today. Whoopsie!

Harvey got the car turned around and back to the highway.He drove for an hour or so, and then stopped to put more fuel in the tank.“Any idea how close we are to the Central Penn border?” he asked Donna, having no desire to be caught by surprise again.”They stood outside the car, stretching their legs, and munching on protein bars.Rachel and Mike remained in the car, either sleeping or pretending to sleep.

“If your odometer is accurate, and the border hasn’t shifted recently, we have approximately twenty miles to go.”

“Is there an alternate route we should consider?We’re sure to run into the army if we stay on the highway.”

Donna shook her head decisively.“We don’t want to look as if we’re trying to avoid them.”Her head came up suddenly, and she stared into the darkness down the road to the west.“Speaking of which ...”

Harvey heard it now:the sound of multiple vehicles headed straight for them.“I hope you’re wrong about the border.If that is more of the East Penn army approaching, we might find ourselves in a bit of a jam.”He shrugged.“Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

They saw the headlights first.Harvey attempted a count, and estimated that at least a dozen or more vehicles were headed their way.A jeep appeared, followed by two tanks and a maybe ten trucks and SUVs in tight formation across all lanes, east and west.Guns were leveled at Harvey and his team.He raised his hands in the air, as did Donna, as well as Mike and Rachel, who had by then joined them in front of the limo.

A handful of men and women exited the closest vehicles and marched smartly towards them, flanking an older woman who Harvey assumed was the commanding officer.Unlike the East Penn army, these soldiers wore matching uniforms, which looked like relics scavenged from the old United States.

“Please state your name,” ordered the commander, “along with your business.” She neither sounded like, nor appeared to be, one of the Amish.The fact that she was a woman in charge effectively ruled that out.

Harvey took a step forward and spoke for the group.“I’m Harvey Specter, and this is my team.We’re from New York, passing through on our way to Chicago.”

“What is your business in Chicago?” 

Harvey smiled, showing his teeth.“That would be our business.”

"if you want right-of-way through our lands, you'll have to make it our business too.If not, you can turn around and go back the way you came."

"Who exactly am I speaking to?Last I heard, this was Amish land.I hate to jump to conclusions, but just by looking at you, I'd guess that you haven't churned any butter lately."

She smiled back at him, and he realized how striking she was, with elegant features and dark blonde hair mostly hidden beneath a black beret.Her blue eyes shone, as hard as polished stones."Nor am I likely to.I'm Colonel Evan Smith, formerly of Ohio.Our forces have merged with the Amish armies of West and Central Penn.By the end of the week, I hope to have united the whole of Pennsylvania under our flag."

"Ambitious."In spite of himself, Harvey was impressed by her swagger."Next thing, you'll tell me you're coming for New York."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to give away the ending."Her gaze swept past Harvey, taking in his companions, and the limousine, before shifting back to him."Answer my question."

"We're on a job."

"What kind of job?"

"Delivery of merchandise."

"Really?How intriguingly vague."She strolled closer, eyeing Donna, Rachel and Mike."This merchandise wouldn't happen to be one of these lovely specimens, would it?"

"Sorry.I can't say.Discretion is a large part of our reputation." 

She stopped in front of Mike and pursed her lips as she examined him."One of these things is not like the other."Touching the barrel of her handgun to his chin, she forced his head up a few degrees."You're wearing Amish clothing, and yet you don't look Amish to me."

"Ever heard of Rumspringa?"

"Nice try, but I don't think so.Your accent sounds New York, specifically Brooklyn.Don't look so surprised.Before everything went to shit, I worked and lived in Manhattan.Tell me what you're doing wearing those clothes that are three inches short in the sleeves, and hang too loosely on you."

Mike glanced toward Harvey, probably for guidance.Colonel Smith tapped her weapon against his cheek.

"Uh uh.Don't look at him," she purred."Look at me.I'm the one asking the questions."She pointed the gun at his face, inches from his left eye.

Harvey found himself moving forward, before even deciding how far he would go to intervene, but checked himself when one of the solders stepped in his path, AK-47 pointed at his chest.

"Maybe," said Smith, "you’re a spy."The gun barrel pressed to Mike's forehead now."We shoot spies here in Pennsylvania."

"Wait," said Harvey."Just wait."His heart had taken up a thunderous, lurching rhythm inside his chest, and his lungs felt too tight to draw sufficient breath.Recognizing the signs of an impending panic attack, he desperately strove to hold himself together."He's not a spy.”

He licked his dry lips, wishing he had a flask of water handy – or something stronger.“We ran into the eastern army, it's true.They gave us safe passage, but went back on their word by trying to kidnap one of my people.We were forced to subdue them, and we took the clothes because Mike's were … unwearable."The rapidly spoken words left him breathless.

Colonel Smith tilted her head to one side, appearing to consider what he'd told her.Her gun drifted lower, now aiming for Mike's heart.Mike had gone completely still, gaze focused on some distant spot over her shoulder. 

“What is he to you?” she asked Harvey.

He took several wheezing, gasping breaths, and barely got out, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you seem awfully agitated.I’m trying to figure out why.”

He rasped out the first lie that came to him.“Asthma attack.I’ve run out of my medicine.” 

"That’s unfortunate for you, but I’m afraid we have no medical supplies to spare.”She turned her attention back to Mike.“I can understand," she mused, "why your client in Chicago would pay what I'm guessing are exorbitant delivery fees for this one.He's delectable."

"I never said – "

"No, you didn't.But he's the only one among you not dressed for a fight."

"I told you why."

"Bullshit.I doubt you've told me one completely true thing in the five minutes we’ve been speaking to one another.I'll give you a final opportunity.If I have my people search your car, are they going to find this important merchandise you're taking all the way to Chicago, with your little band of mercenaries?"

"We're not mercenaries.We're procurement agents."

She laughed at him."I don't know what lies you tell yourself in order to sleep at night, but where I come from, we generally don't distinguish one predator from another."

"Fine.Call us whatever you want."He breathed in and out, in and out, ordering himself to calm down, mind working rapidly.They wouldn’t find anything in the car, save for his hidden weapons, and that was only if the soldiers were particularly clever.If he agreed with her, perhaps she would let them go on their way.Mike might not like the answer, but he was going to discover the truth eventually.At least Harvey could give her a slightly edited version of the truth.“And you’re right.He’s the merch.Some guy in Chicago likes them young and blond and blue-eyed.”He kept his eyes resolutely off of Mike.

Her gaze on him hardened.“Charming.And after the transaction is complete?” she asked.

“We return to New York.”

Colonel Smith finally lowered her weapon and moved away from Mike.Donna and Rachel, he noticed with approval, inched up to flank Mike.To anyone else, they might appear to be offering moral support, but Harvey knew that Donna, at least, intended to prevent any sudden urge towards flight on Mike’s part.

“You might wish to consider joining us instead.”

That surprised Harvey into a laugh.“And why would we do that?I prefer peace to war.”

“Sort of like the ‘peace’ that breaks out in New York any time the balance of power shifts?”

“What would you know about New York politics?”

“Come on, Harvey.Use your common sense.Communications are crucial when waging a war.We have the best shortwave equipment available, and a pretty decent computer network with access to the pirate webs.We receive intel from all over the continent.I probably know more about what is going on in Manhattan right now than you do.”She paused, letting that all sink in.“We heard about the attempt on Charles Forstman’s life, as soon as it happened.”

Despite his attempts to retain a poker face, Harvey’s eyes widened at this. _Attempt?_ Was Forstman still alive?

“Ah.You didn’t know.Forstman is clinging to life.It’s precarious.His blood type is a rare one – the rarest.AB negative.I’m certain his family will find him some donors – willing or unwilling.Whether he lives or not makes no difference to me, or to our cause.”

Donna spoke up for the first time.“What is your cause, exactly?Just a land grab?”

“No.Not just a land grab.Our ultimate goal is reunification.Perhaps not of the entire former United States.That remains to be seen.For starters, we’re pushing all the way to the Atlantic, and then moving north, into New England.New York is vital to our strategy.And while our intel is good, it could be significantly improved by having people along with firsthand knowledge of the city.”She shrugged.“Consider it, while you’re finishing up your dirty business.We only take volunteers, but we intend to be the winners in the end.”

“Who is your leader?” asked Rachel.“Who will be leading whatever portion of the country you manage to pull back together?”

Harvey nodded approvingly.That was exactly the question that interested him the most.

“Our leader will be whoever the majority elects.We’re bringing back the constitutional form of government we had before.”

“Like that worked out so well the first time,” muttered Mike.

“It did pretty well for a few centuries.”She shrugged.“At least we’re trying.I can state with complete certainty that it will be an improvement over the chaos and violence that have reigned most everywhere for twenty years.”She holstered her weapon and headed back to the jeep.“I’ll send word to my troops west of here that you’ve been granted safe passage.You’ll be fine through Ohio.Indiana is iffy.They’re about fifty percent with us, but the other half remains dangerous.And Illinois?Good luck there.If you make it back this way, I’m certain we’ll talk again.”

She climbed into the jeep, and she and her entourage swarmed around and past them, heading in the direction Harvey and his crew had come from.The sounds of their passing grew faint and then died out completely.It was just the four of them now, and Harvey could no longer postpone dealing with Mike.As he turned to face him, he reached down to unfasten the Velcro strap on his thigh holster.He saw Mike’s eyes track his movements, and wondered if he had the Trump Eagle somewhere on his person.

“What’s the matter Harvey,” asked Mike, voice soft, “afraid I’ll bolt?Or are you afraid I’ll put up a fight to prevent you from whoring me out?”

“That was just a story for the colonel.No one is whoring you out.”

“Really?I’m just … I’m confused.Maybe you could help me put this all together.You buy me out of prison at almost the same time Forstman is shot.And what a coincidence!We have the same rare blood type.I saw your face when she told you Forstman was still alive.You thought he was dead, which meant that you couldn’t sell me to him.You didn’t recruit me for your firm.You procured me for Forstman.Why Chicago, though?What is really waiting for me there?”

“Mike, you need to calm down.”

The kid was tense and jumpy as a livewire, eyes darting in every direction, searching for a way out.

“No.This is bullshit.You’re a fucking liar.”He turned to give Donna and Rachel an accusing glare.“You’re all fucking liars, pretending to be nice to me.Pretending like you cared.”He shook his head.“God, you must have gotten quite the charge out of what an idiot I was.”He took a step back, alternating his gaze between the three of them and the dark woods bordering the highway.

Harvey caught Donna’s eye.She appeared troubled, but when he gave her a subtle signal, she nodded her understanding, and began to move slowly around to Mike’s side.

“Maybe,” said Mike, “I’ll go join up with her army.Or maybe I’ll go it alone.If you think I’ll go with you quietly after what I just learned, you’re cra – ”

Donna plunged a hypo into his neck.Mike cut off mid-word and would have dropped like a rock if Harvey hadn’t rushed over to catch him beneath his armpits and ease him to ground.

“Shit,” Donna muttered, hypo dangling at her side, “that was brutal.”

Rachel fell to her knees next to Mike, cradling his head on her legs, and sending Harvey a beseeching look.“Do we really have to go ahead with this delivery?I really like him.I’ve hated lying to him.I think he’d make a good agent, if you give him a chance.”

She was like a little kid, begging to keep the puppy that had followed her home.He wasn’t ready to admit it, but Harvey felt disturbed by the entire situation.He’d never held a conversation with his merch before, had never allowed himself to see them as human.Mike had complicated things by being so …Harvey gave his head a sharp shake.It didn’t matter.Mike – the merch – was his way out.He was a means to an end, that was all.Harvey needed the commission this job would bring.

Donna spoke up, breaking into his thoughts.“I sort of agree with Rachel.This doesn’t feel right.”

Harvey gave her pinched look.“When has it ever felt right?We do what we have to do to get by.Shit, Donna, we’ve done worse things than this and you never batted an eyelash.Don’t forget who you’re talking to.I saw you put a bullet in Daniel Hardman just for daring to suggest that he should take Jessica’s place.”

“He deserved to be shot.And I missed all the vital parts.He lived.”

“You know who didn’t live?Cameron Dennis, after he cheated us out of that commission.You slit his – ”

“Okay.Okay.Point taken.We’re all shitty people.That’s what this life has turned us into.But what if …”

“What if, what?”

She looked sheepish, which was a disturbingly unfamiliar look on Donna.“I don’t know.What if Colonel Smith has the right idea?What if she and her army can actually make something decent again out of this fucked up world?”

“And what if pigs can fly?”Harvey closed his eyes for a few seconds, pinching the bridge of his nose.“Fine.You know what?If you want to volunteer, go right ahead.Nobody’s stopping you.Rachel?Do you feel the same way?”

“No …”She smoothed Mike’s hair off his forehead.“Not entirely.”

“This is what you signed on for,” he pressed her.“Are you going to fall apart at the first difficult choice?You claimed you could be such a badass agent, if only we gave you a chance.”

“I could.I am.”She moved Mike’s head off of her legs and climbed to her feet.“You’re right.This is the job.We don’t always like the job, but it is what it is.No reward without risks.”

She was saying the right words, but didn’t sound completely sure of herself.Harvey would take it, though.“I appreciate that.Donna?Are you with us?Just one more job?”

She frowned back at him.“You’re not fooling anyone.I don’t believe you like this anymore than I do.”A gusty sigh.“Damn it.All right.One more job.Afterwards?I don’t know.”

“Afterwards you can take your cut of the commission and do whatever the hell you like.As for me, after this job, I’m done.Rachel, search him.Then we need to restrain him, and get the gag back in.He’s not going to go willingly, and I, for one, would rather not hear his complaints all the way from here to Chicago.”

They retrieved the Trump Eagle from Mike’s back pocket, got him trussed up, had a brief argument about where to put him (Harvey voted for back in the trunk), and ended up arranging him in the front passenger seat next to Harvey.His arms were zip-tied behind him, and attached with an additional zip-tie to the door handle.Harvey started the car, and stepped on the accelerator with too much force, sending them off again with a swerve and a squeal of tires.

******

Dawn was breaking behind them when Mike struggled back to consciousness.Harvey’s attention remained focused on the road, but he sensed Mike beside him, and could almost _feel_ the hyper-alert rage suddenly emanating from him.He heard him thrash briefly, testing his bonds, and then grow quiescent once more.A glance in the rearview mirror showed both Donna and Rachel staring moodily in opposite directions out their side windows.

Harvey had never wanted to be a father, had never imagined himself in that role, but at the moment he felt weirdly trapped in some hellish family road trip from a previous era.As much as he’d like to threaten to “turn this car around,” unfortunately that wasn’t an option.

He gave Mike a quick look out of the corner of his eye, and wished he hadn’t.The kid’s mouth was stretched obscenely around the ball gag, and with his arms restrained behind him, he looked like a participant in some of the sweatier fantasies Harvey had entertained over the years.He mentally crossed that particular fantasy off his list, because after this he doubted he’d enjoy it ever again.

Mike caught him looking, and growled low in his throat.

Harvey sighed.“Mike, I’m sorry.”

Another growl, this one more menacing than the last.

“It’s not personal.It’s just business.”

A rising grunt from Mike, giving the impression of a non-verbal question, along the lines of, “what the fuck, dude?”

“It’s what I do.It’s my job.And hey, you could still be in prison.At least this way you get to see a little of the world outside of Rikers.”

A derisive snort accompanied by a sad head shake.

“Look at it this way, kid:nobody lives forever.”

Mike slammed his head back against the seat and shut his eyes, signaling that he was done with the “conversation.”

“Gee,” said Donna, “way to reassure him.”

“Yeah,” added Rachel, “now he knows he’s going to die.I would have held that part back.”

Harvey started to grow angry.“What do you want me to say?You want me to sugarcoat it?Mike, what do you want?Do you want the truth?Or would you prefer more lies?”

Mike made two distinct grunts.Even though the ball gag distorted the words beyond recognition, Harvey had no trouble translating the sentiment as, “Fuck you.”

“Okay, here’s the full truth.The buyer in Chicago is looking for an organ donor – a heart, to be specific.You and he share a blood type.However, you may or may not be compatible.Odds are good that you aren’t.If not, your blood type is rare enough that he’ll still pay to keep you around as a blood donor for future contingencies.That means that while you won’t have any more freedom than you did in prison, if he’s a decent guy, he’ll feed well enough, and treat you well enough, that you’ll remain healthy for many more years.So … that’s not so bad, right?”

Mike was back to growling.

A few disgusted comments drifted up from the back seat, which Harvey chose to ignore.

_ I will turn this car around.  _ He said the words at high volume in his head, but didn’t speak them out loud. He did not turn the car around.They continued on, due west.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Traveling west, they passed several military convoys heading in the opposite direction, which permitted the limousine to pass unmolested.Evidently Colonel Smith had been straight with them about contacting the rest of the army.

They switched off driving, with Donna taking over for Harvey, and then Rachel taking over for her.Mike may have been the only person in the car prevented from speaking, but no one else seemed to have anything to say.Harvey tried to catch some more sleep, but couldn’t get his mind to turn off long enough to relax.

Exit signs appeared for Hershey and Harrisburg and Carlisle and Newville.They passed the Tuscacora Forest, and something called Burnt Cabins.Harvey didn't spot any actual cabins, burnt or otherwise.The most surprising aspect of their journey thus far was the absence of people.This began to change the farther west they drove.Pittsburgh was the approximate halfway point between New York and Chicago, and as they approached the large city, they were finally joined on the highway by other cars and trucks, although the traffic volume never approached pre-schism levels.

Harvey cradled a shotgun in his arms, clearly visible to the other cars, to warn off anyone who might attempt robbery, or worse.

Rachel, currently behind the wheel, spoke up in an uneasy voice."Maybe we should stay off the freeway until we cross over into Ohio."

She must have noticed the gun turrets mounted on several of the vehicles they'd passed. 

"Just keep your speed up," Harvey ordered."We've got about an hour left until we hit the Ohio border.Let's see how things look west of Pittsburgh."

Donna had a paper map out, a relic from the previous century, taped and re-taped many times to keep it intact.She dragged her index finger along the faded line of the freeway."I recommend we drop down to the south.If the bridge situation in Pittsburgh is anything like it is back home, we might run into a problem.If we follow the 70 to Columbus, and then veer north again, we might avoid some of the worst traffic."

"You're assuming Columbus is any more welcoming than Pittsburgh," Harvey pointed out.

"The more we are able to stay away from people, the better.Because people are, you know, awful."

Harvey could hardly argue with that."Fine.Plot out a rural route that doesn’t cost us too much time."

"Aye aye."

******

The sun had begun to inch back toward the horizon when a peeling, bullet-riddled sign appeared, welcoming them to Ohio.The roads here had not been maintained as well as in Pennsylvania, but remained passable.

The view out the window was sobering.Harvey hadn’t been this far west since the schism, but didn’t remember this area looking so grim.Wide fields that might once have held crops or wild vegetation sat fallow and noxious.The day was had grown warm, but they kept their windows rolled up in a vain attempt to block out the odors emanating from the fetid ground.

Donna handed out protein bars to help them keep up their strength.Harvey vetoed freeing Mike so he could partake, and was gifted with another sullen, stormy blue glare.

“You can eat when we stop to stretch our legs,” he promised, ignoring a niggle of guilt.

He intended to forge ahead until they were forced to make another refueling stop.Maybe they’d look for some more appealing food while they were at it, although he wasn't sure how.They probably shouldn't just march up to some random house and knock on the door.

Before the tank reached one quarter full, the car’s engine began to knock and sputter ominously.The third time it lurched and all but stalled, Harvey cursed.

“Pull over,” he instructed Rachel.“I’ll take a look.”

The car rolled to a stop between a wide field on the left, and dense foliage on the right.

Harvey got out.After Rachel popped the hood, he stood staring down at the faintly smoking engine, wishing he had paid more attention to Dominic when he’d explained basic repair and maintenance techniques to him.As things stood, Donna knew more about how to make minor fixes than Harvey did.Apparently, Mike knew more than all of them, but Harvey wouldn’t risk allowing their prisoner access to the limo’s engine.

“Donna,” he called after several minutes, “come take a look at this, would you?”She didn’t immediately join him, so he looked around the obscuring hood to discover her in quiet, agitated conversation with Rachel.She held up her index finger, indicated that he should wait.He gave an annoyed head shake and went back to staring at the engine.

Finally, he heard a car door slam, and then Donna appeared and walked to the front of the car to lean over the engine with him.

“Well?” he asked.“What’s wrong with it?”

She pretended to contemplate the problem.“I’d say the goforwardthingie is rubbing against the wutdaheckisthis whatchamacallit, and causing a major nogo situation.”She waited until he’d come to the end of his long, drawn out sigh, and then added, “either that, or the squirrels died.Maybe you forgot to feed them.See, that's funny because – ”

“Yeah, yeah.You’re hilarious.Do you have anything useful to contribute?”

“Not really, but I think we both know who might.”

“Forget it.The merch stays under lockdown.”

“Oh, it’s back to ‘the merch,’ is it?”

“It’s what he’s always been.Nothing has changed.”

“Hasn’t it?"The look she gave him told him she was skeptical."Well, maybe it should.”

“If you have something to say, just say it.”He pulled out the dipstick, only because it was the one thing he knew how to check.The oil level looked fine.

“Okay.I will.I’ve been thinking.Why can't we change?"

He mentally counselled himself to patience.“Because this is who we are.This is what we do.This is what we’ve always done.”He stabbed the dipstick back into place.

“Maybe – Harvey, look at me – maybe it’s time to try something else.I mean, if Colonel Smith and her army are going through all the trouble to put up a fight and put their asses on the line to fix things, to put things back the way they used to be, maybe we could try to go back to the way we were.Before.You know, before we became the kind of people who sell people to other people for parts.”

Harvey leaned a hip against the front of the car, weary to his bones.“If you think we can ever go back, that we can simply hit reset and wish away all of our crimes, you’re as deluded as Smith.”

“Am I?Think on this:what are you going to do if Mike’s heart is a match?Those bastards in Chicago will put him to sleep, cut his heart out of his chest, and then toss him out like so much trash.Sure, you’ll get your big payday, and perhaps you’ll manage to live out the rest of your life in something approximating peace, but you’ll carry that image with you forever.”A pause.“I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“What?”

“Deny it to yourself all you want, but I’m not blind.I see the way your eyes light up when you look at Mike, and the calm that descends over you.I saw how your impending panic attack faded away just from the sound of his voice.Why don't you just go on and admit it?You don’t want to finish this trip.”

He glared down at the smoking engine.“We’re finishing it.I still outrank you, and I’ll make it an order if I have to.On the other hand, you’re perfectly welcome to walk back to New York, if you can’t stomach the job anymore.”

She shook her head, muttering, “Deny, deny, deny.”

Rachel’s face popped around the edge of the hood, followed by her body.“Hey, guys.Mike knows what’s wrong with the engine.”

Harvey took a step toward her.“Who said you could remove the gag?”

“No one.And I didn’t.I asked him, using simple yes or no questions.”

“Yeah?Did you also ask him if he would pretty please promise not to sabotage my car once we've freed him and given him access to our means of transporting him to his … his …”

“His doom?” Donna finished for him.

“The point is, if neither of you can figure out what’s wrong with my car, we’ll need to get busy locating alternate transportation.”

Exchanging an arch look with Donna, Rachel bent over the engine, using her index finger to trace first one hose from beginning to end, and then another.Harvey had no idea what she was searching for, but let her give it a try, since they were short on options at the moment.Donna watched intently, interjecting the occasional suggestion.

Gradually, the smoke cleared, and Rachel looked cautiously optimistic.“Someone should try starting the engine,” she suggested.

Harvey headed for the driver’s side.As he rounded the hood, he found the front passenger door open, Mike’s gag on the ground, one of the zip ties still hanging from the door handle, sliced cleanly through, and the other missing, presumably still attached to Mike.

“Mike’s escaped,” he shouted.

He spun in a circle, cursing savagely as he scanned the vicinity.Mike couldn’t have been gone more than a minute or two.The empty field to the south provided no cover.Mike must have headed north, into the woods.

“Rachel, stay with the car.Do whatever you need to do to get it running.Donna, with me.”

He unholstered his weapon as he strode toward the woods, with Donna a few steps back on his right side.Mike’s entry point was easy enough to determine by the broken and bent branches.Harvey eased in, feeling the temperature grow instantly cooler under the canopy of trees.With quick, silent steps, he followed the trail Mike had left, trying not to imagine the panic he must be feeling, trying to think of him only as nameless prey to be tracked and caught.

He spotted the second zip tie on the ground and squatted down for a closer look.Bits of skin and blood stuck to the thin, hard plastic, mute testimony to Mike’s desperation.The blood was still wet, and the plastic was not chewed, or twisted, but had obviously been sliced through with something sharp, just like the one in the car. 

He increased his pace, taking care to avoid dried twigs or leaves, which would give away their approach.A change in the light up ahead indicated that the woods ended there.He put his finger to his lips, an unnecessary precaution with Donna at his side.He pulled the last branch out of the way, just in time to hear the squeal of tires.

“Shit.”He burst through, into another clearing, beyond which a two-lane road paralleled the freeway.A black SUV sped east, almost out of sight already.It was close enough, however, for Harvey to recognize it as Travis Tanner's.

******

Harvey and Donna sprinted back to the car to discover Rachel standing with a socket wrench in one hand, and a spark plug in the other.“Where’s Mike?” she asked.

“Taken.What are you doing?”

“Oh, fuck.Taken by who?”

“Travis Tanner.My guess would be he intends to deliver Mike to Forstman.”

“Well, double fuck.That means …”

“That Jessica has an informant working for her.Obviously.Quit wasting time and answer my question: what the hell are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Rachel snapped back.“Fixing your goddamned car.I traced the problem to the spark plugs.The rest of these look passable, but this one is kinda funky.”

“Funky?”

“The firing tip was pretty clogged, so …”

“So you thought you’d take it out and make things worse?”

She shook her head.“Don’t worry, Harvey.I know what I’m doing.This wouldn't have happened if you treated your car with a little more respect.When’s the last time you brought this to Dominic for regular maintenance?All of the plugs should be cleaned, or better yet, replaced, but I think we can squeak by if I take care of the worst one.”

“How long?”

“Half an hour, tops.”

He appealed to Donna.“Seriously, what is she doing to my car?Does that sound right to you?”

Donna edged in next to Rachel and peered at the spot to which she pointed.“Yep.She’s right.I’ll give her a hand, and maybe we can shave some time off our ETD.”

“Leave it.Check the car for trackers.It can’t be a coincidence that Tanner was so close by when Mike escaped.”

For his part, he reached under the front seat and pulled out the first aid kit.As he had suspected, the field scalpel was missing.Their little magician must have palmed it after he’d removed Harvey’s chip, and then stashed it somewhere in the car, since they’d searched him after Donna had knocked him out.

He heard Donna’s muffled curse from under the car.“Well, fuck me.”She straightened up and showed him the magnetized tracking device which had been underneath the car.“When you’re right, your right.”

Harvey was thinking rapidly, ignoring the churning anxiety in his gut.

Donna rejoined Rachel in front of the car, squatting down next to the tool kit, and eying him at the same time.“I take it we’re going after Mike?”

“You’re damned right we are.You think I’m going to let Tanner snake me for that fat commission?”

“Oh, right.The commission.You sure that’s the only reason?” She found what she was looking for – the cleaning kit Dominic had given him a year ago, which Harvey had promptly forgotten – and stood up.“What are you going to do if you get him back?Sell him to Forstman yourself?Or head back to Chicago?”

Harvey stood with his hands on his hips, at a loss for words.What would he do?Neither option felt right anymore.Donna was waiting for a response.He threw up his hands.“I can’t answer that right now.We’ll worry about that if – no, when – we catch up to Tanner and get Mike back.”He held her gaze for few more seconds.She didn’t say anything else, which didn’t stop him from muttering, “Shut up,” and walking away to sit in the car.

******

More than ever now, Harvey took note of the eerie emptiness of the countryside as they sped back east.They further they got, the more they heard the sounds of battle in the distance – explosions and rapid gun shots, and occasional desperate yells.Those who inhabited these parts must have already put their heads down and gone into hiding until the hostilities ended.He didn’t blame them, and might have done the same, except it suddenly felt imperative that he get Mike back before it was too late.

He could tell himself it was because of his hatred for Charles Forstman, but he knew, not so deep down, the real reason.He wanted Mike alive and whole.He wanted to talk to him, and hear him laugh, and get him to recite a story for him, or play all the parts in an old movie.He wanted to watch his pretty blue eyes change hues with his shifting moods.

He wanted to listen to the strong, surging beat of his heart underneath his ear.

He wanted all of this because apparently, he was an idiot.

***

Colonel Smith's army must have moved north, or south, because they didn't encounter so much as a lone sentry on the trip back.Donna offered to drive when they crossed into New Jersey, but Harvey refused to budge from the driver’s seat.Each time they had to refuel, he remained in where he was, tapping out a nervous beat on the steering wheel.

Night was falling when they approached the bridge crossing into New York, a full day since they had left the city.To Harvey, it seemed a hell of a lot longer than that.On the Jersey side, at least, nothing appeared out of the ordinary.The elderly gatekeeper accepted Harvey's coins and got up to crank the gate open.

Harvey had hoped to catch Tanner before they got back to the city.That would have made things less complicated, since he always liked his chances in a fair fight with Tanner.Now, the chances of retrieving Mike before he was delivered to Forstman were slim.

He waved the gatekeeper back over."Did a black SUV cross recently?"

"Sure.About twenty minutes ago."

"How many in the car?"

The old man scratched behind one ear and spat on the ground."Not sure I remember."

Harvey held up a gold coin, but snatched it back when the man reached for it."Tell me everything.What did you see?"

The gatekeeper fixed Harvey with a baleful glare."The driver was about your age.Kind of a dick, like you.Had a pretty blonde lady with him."

“Long blonde hair?Blue eyes?”

“Yep.”

"That's it?That’s all you remember."

The man shrugged, and Harvey swore he heard creaking."They had a package in the backseat that moved around a lot.Couldn't get a look at it.It was covered up with a blanket, tied with lots of rope."

Harvey thanked him, and handed over the gold coin."Twenty-minute lead," he repeated unnecessarily to Donna and Rachel as he sped through the gate."We can still catch them."

If Donna or Rachel had any doubts, they kept those to themselves.Harvey retained hope until the moment they reached the Manhattan side of the bridge, and were met by two unfamiliar guards and half a dozen municipal police officers with guns drawn and pointing at the limousine.The gate was open, and Harvey might have stomped on the accelerator and flown past them, but three vintage police cars blocked the road.

"God damn it.Tanner must have told them we were smugglers or snatchers."Harvey caught Donna's eye in the rearview mirror."Got any bright ideas?"

"Show them your travel permit.We can clear this up, no problem."

Harvey wasn't as sure as Donna sounded, but they didn't have many other options.He rolled down the window and passed his permit to the guard.

Seconds later, one of the policemen stepped up and pointed his pistol at Harvey's face."Harvey Reginald Specter," he intoned, "you are under arrest for the crime of treason.Step out of the vehicle."

"Wait.What?"That was all Harvey managed to get out before the guard yanked his door open, and several sets of hands grabbed him and dragged him ungently from the car.Donna and Rachel objected loudly, which did nothing to stop them from jerking Harvey's arms behind his back and cuffing him.He was forced face down on the ground, and a booted foot connected sharply with his ribs.

"Call Jessica," Harvey gasped.He would have elaborated, but a hypo needle stung his neck, sending cold liquid surging into his veins."Shit," he said, or thought he said, just before the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Harvey woke to a pounding heading and aching ribs.Prying one eye open, he immediately recognized the Tombs.He'd been here a few times when he was younger.The holding cell looked nearly the same as he remembered, although more angry graffiti covered the wall, and the odors of urine and stale sweat seemed stronger.He sat up, moving carefully, and ignoring the hostile, assessing stares being thrown his way by some of the other prisoners. 

“What time is it?” he croaked.“Does anybody know?”

“It’s morning,” a thin, nervous man finally answered.“Breakfast is late.”

Morning.He’d been out all night.Harvey groaned, not wanting to think of what might have happened to Mike in that time, and not even questioning that this was the first place his thoughts went.He climbed to his feet, and braced a hand against the wall as he waited for his head to clear.When he thought he could move without vomiting – or falling on his face – he stepped up to the bars.

“Guard,” he called.He could see two of them at the end of the hallway, but they ignored him, so he tried again, pitching his voice more loudly.“Guard.I need to make a phone call.I can get you all the gold or credits you want.Hey.Look at me.”

The only reaction he got was a glance of disdain, accompanied by the threatening lift of a stun gun.

“Shit.”Harvey retreated to a corner of the cell.Maybe Donna and Rachel had formulated a plan to get him out.Of course, that was assuming they weren’t locked up too, in one of the women’s holding cells.He ordered himself to be patient, but after another hour, he was seriously considering setting off a full-blown riot in his cell.Before he could figure out how to accomplish this, one of the guards finally approached and called his name.

“Looks like you’ve got yourself a visitor, Specter.A prime piece of ass, too, according to Leonard in processing.Come on.Let’s go.”

The guard led him to a tiny room.Inside, Jessica waited for him.She’d changed out of her tactical gear, and back into one of her power suits, complete with chic, chunky jewelry.She stood with her arms crossed, watching while the guard shoved him roughly through the door and locked it behind him.Harvey took one of the chairs, groaning and holding his side.

“Did they beat you?”Jessica sounded reluctant even to ask, as if she preferred to hold onto her righteous rage.

“Feels like it.Whatever they did, I was out cold for the whole thing.Most of it, anyway.”

“Hm.”She stared at him, gaze flat and assessing.“Turns out I hired a traitor.”

“Jessica, no.Let me explain.”

“I’m not talking about you, although don’t think you’re off the hook.I’m pissed as hell at you, but we’ll deal with that later.No, I’m talking about the person who bugged our phones and put that tracker on your car.”

“That wasn’t Tanner?”

“She was working with Tanner.”

“Katrina.”

She gave him a sharp look.“How did you know?”

“The Jersey gatekeeper described her to me, and I put two and two together.I figured it had to be an inside job, and she was with you and Louis when you listened in on my call.Plus, she would have had access to my car.Hell, I don't even know how long that tracker was in place.”Something occurred to him.“That would explain how Tanner managed to ambush me on my last run to New Jersey.Katrina’s got a lot to answer for.”

“There’s more.This morning, I woke to discover that the firm had been hacked for every last one of its credits, and two of my senior agents have defected.”

“Shit.”

“Indeed.It didn’t take Louis long to trace the hack job straight back to Katrina.He’s out for blood.”

Harvey considered her from across the table.“Sounds like you’ve got yourself quite the brewing shit storm to deal with.So what are you doing here?”

“You know very well what I’m doing here.You may be arrogant, aggravating, and as hard-headed a man as I’ve ever met, but you’re also the best procurement agent this city has ever known.I need your help to get back what is mine, and to make Tanner and that lying little bitch regret the day they ever decided to tangle with Jessica Pearson.”

“You need me.Huh.Well, it turns out, I’m in a bit of a sticky situation of my own at the moment.”

“I’m prepared to pay all of your bribes.I can have you out of here within the hour.”

“In exchange for …?”

“You come back to the firm, and promise to learn your place.”

He nodded slowly, weighing his answer.“I’ll do that.On one condition.”

“I’m listening.”

“We take Mike Ross back from Forstman.”

Her eyes darkened.“The Disposable?You have got to be goddamned kidding me.”

“Take it or leave it.”

“Harvey, I don't think you understand the depth of the hole you've dug for yourself.You’re charged with treason.I assume you know the customary punishment for that?”

He smiled seraphically back at her.“I know how this works.They won't execute me until they've had the chance to torture me for at least a month.I have a hunch that in another week or two, it won’t matter.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the big ass Army of the United States of America, risen up from the grave, that is making its way here, and should be at our gates any day now.”

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

She started to laugh, but checked herself.“I can see that you have had an eventful road trip.” She paced the room for several minutes.Harvey could almost see the wheels turning inside her head as she moved.“All right.I’ll agree to your condition, if that's what it takes to get your head back in the game.However, you'll need to get someone else to deliver him to Chicago for you."

"He's not going to Chicago."

"I see," she said, in the tone of voice of someone who did not see at all.

"He’s not for Forstman, or the Chicago buyer.He’s mine, and I intend to keep him.I want him as my agent trainee."

"Were you kicked in the head one too many times last night?"

"You have several newly open positions at the firm.I've seen Mike in action.He's good.He'll make a great agent."

"Hm.Donna claimed you’d grown fond of the Disposable, but I didn't believe her.”

“Mike.His name is Mike.”He didn't argue about Donna's assessment.Apparently he'd already decided – without actually deciding – that he'd do whatever it took to get Mike back.

She inclined her head.“Mike, then.We’ll gather what’s left of the firm and break him out of Forstman’s compound.After that, you can do with him whatever you choose.But you will stick around, and you will stop dreaming about some impossible escape to your utopia for one.You will remain at the firm, and be by my side while we take back what is ours.”

“And that army I mentioned?”

“We’ll see how that plays out.I can envision possible advantages in allying ourselves with them.Did you get a feel for their endgame?"

"Reunification."

"No shit?"She gazed at the far wall, and let out a soft laugh."Ambitious.Well, maybe they can figure out a way to make it work this time."She returned her attention to Harvey."Let's get you out of here."

"How are you going to manage that, by the way?I thought Katrina and Tanner cleaned you out."

Her hands went to her ears, and she removed first one, and then the other gold earring.She laid them on the table, worked the clasp on each of her two clunky gold bracelets, and put them with the earrings."This ought to cover it."

"You sure that'll be enough?" he couldn't resist asking with a smirk.

"Normally, half an earring would do for you, but you have pissed off some powerful people this time."

"Forstman."

"The whole fucking family.Luckily they're too worried about their patriarch to deal with you immediately."

Harvey had a sick feeling."Do you think …?"He was worried about Mike, but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

Jessica, predictably, understood."I'm willing to bet Mike's blood is speeding Charles Forstman's healing even as we speak.As for the rest of it, we have a little time.They'd be fools to perform any delicate surgery until Charles is out of the woods."

Harvey nodded.He could only hope she was right.

******

The Forstman family called a fifty-two story high-rise on Fifth Avenue home.The building also served as their business headquarters.It was crawling with guards, all armed to the teeth.If Mike was being kept there, even Harvey would have had to concede defeat, and call off the rescue.He wasn't sure that even the approaching army could penetrate that fortress.

They were in luck, however.Since Forstman had been shot half a block from Mercy General Hospital, he'd been rushed there, and his people had commandeered half of the first floor for him.A days worth of reconnaissance confirmed that a newly acquired donor had been delivered two nights previously, providing a steady supply of fresh blood for Forstman.

Night had fallen, and Harvey and Donna were stationed in the alley across the street from the front entrance of the hospital.

"Thank god we didn't have to run up fifty-two floors," Donna whispered.She nudged him, and he handed the binoculars back to her.Like Harvey, her night vision goggles hung around her neck, disguised by her coat, but they didn't need them yet.

"Been slacking on your wind sprints again?"

"No.It's just tactically not an ideal situation."

"Because you'd be sucking air down on the fifth floor while the rest of us were storming the barricades."

"Oh, yeah?I know you are, but what am – "

"Hush."He gripped her shoulder, and she fell quiet."There's the signal."

Rachel had stolen the ID off of one of the nurses, and entered the hospital fifteen minutes earlier.She had just signaled her discovery of Forstman's room by raising the blinds halfway.Harvey turned his penlight off and on two times, and similar flashes of light appeared from multiple locations around the building.He counted slowly to sixty – and heard Donna counting along with him – and then draped an arm over Donna's shoulder and steered her across the street, both of them giggling and zig-zagging as if they'd had too much to drink.

In front of them, Louis staggered up to the front door, one hand on his head to stop the gush of what looked like real blood.Knowing Louis like Harvey did, it might actually be real blood.A guard stepped in Louis's path, probably meaning to stiff-arm him, but Louis pitched forward and dragged his balding, blood-soaked head down the front of the guard's uniform.

Shouting erupted as the guard berated Louis, who wrapped his arms around the guard, as if he needed the support to remain upright.With the guard thus distracted, Harvey and Donna slipped past him and into the building.He'd been prepared to be challenged, or at least noticed, but the lobby was deserted.

"What the hell," he muttered, and shot Donna a wary look.

She shrugged, as confused as he was.

"I don't like this," whispered Harvey."Forstman should have at least half a dozen guards out here."

"Desertion?" Donna suggested.

They got their answer when they entered what looked like a waiting room.Eight men and women wearing Forstman's uniform were passed out on the floor, crumpled into various poses, as if they’d fallen haphazardly.Harvey squatted next to the closest one, found a thready pulse, and pulled the unconscious man’s eyelid back."Drugged," he said.

"Where the hell is Rachel?"She sounded rattled, which wasn't like Donna at all.

"She sent the signal, so I'm guessing she's fine."

"Use your eyes, Harvey.Everyone is out cold."

"Not everyone."

Someone who looked like an orderly peeked over the top of the intake desk and ducked back down.Pulling out his Kimber, Harvey strode over to the desk and leaned over.Close to a dozen nurses, orderlies and janitorial staff huddled there, looking terrified.

"How long?" asked Harvey, not willing to waste time with extraneous words.

"Less than five minutes."One of the nurses responded.

"Which way?"

Eyes wide, the nurse pointed to the hallway."Third floor on the right," she whispered.

By then, Jessica had joined them.Louis must have subdued the guard outside, because he stood at Jessica's shoulder.He had his trainees and junior agents with him, along with what were left of the senior agents – Malone, Davis and Crickley.

With Harvey and Jessica in the lead, they swarmed down the hallway in formation. 

It seemed they were too late.Forstman's room stood empty.Donna found a nurse next to the larger of the two beds in the room, in the same condition as the guards out front.Donna shook her, trying to wake her to ask her what had happened.Harvey might have helped, but he was frozen in place, staring at the smaller bed.An IV line dangled on one side of the bed.The other side of the bed was splashed with blood, still red and wet.A trail of blood drops led to a door that he guessed opened onto an adjoining room.

Without being asked, Louis examined the IV bag, which was still half full of clear liquid."Saline and a strong sedative," he confirmed."Your Disposable is dead to the world right now.Probably weak from blood loss as well."A brief pause. “Or dead.”

"Harvey?Harvey!"

He realized that Jessica was trying to get his attention.He stared across the bed at her, not trusting his voice.

"We both know who did this, right?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Tanner," he choked out.

"He's making a play for power.Thieving me was only the first step."

"Something's wrong here."Harvey's survival instincts had just kicked in big time.

"That’s an understatement."

"No, I mean, this doesn't add up.We all saw Rachel's signal.How did they have enough time to get in here, disable all those guards, knock the nurse out, and get out with Forstman and Mike – neither of whom could move on their own power – without any of our people seeing a thing?"

"Because, Harvey, we're just that good."

Harvey whirled toward the door to the adjoining room, and found it blocked by Travis Tanner, Katrina Bennett, and three other agents.The hallway door was similarly blocked.Before Harvey had a chance to get a shot off, Tanner's people had their guns trained on them.They swiftly disarmed all of the Pearson people, while Harvey seethed.

"Where is Mike?" he asked.

"Don't you mean, where is Forstman?" asked Tanner, with his customary smirk firmly in place. 

Jessica gave Harvey a quelling look."Travis Tanner," she said, as if she held all of the cards, not him, "you have something that belongs to me."

"Your gold and credits?"He shrugged, grinning."That was just to get your attention."

"You've got it.But that's not what I'm talking about."Jessica turned her attention to Katrina."If there is one thing I cannot abide, it's a traitor."

Katrina expression grew ugly."I never would have betrayed you if you'd given me more than a passing thought.All the big assignments went to your precious Harvey Specter."

"And Louis, and Jeff, and any of my other senior agents.You would have gotten your chance eventually.But you're interrupting.I want Travis here to tell me what is going on."

"What's going on?I'm taking over this city, that is what's going on.I've got Forstman, and by now Gionopoulos and the Sidwells have been neutralized.I'll keep Forstman alive – barely – and rule in his name."

Harvey had had enough.He stepped up to Tanner, ignoring the gun that was instantly pointed at his chest."You want to rule this city?I couldn't give a shit.Enjoy it for the next few days, which is about how long it will be before you're knocked off your perch."

Tanner frowned at him."What the hell are you talking about?What does that even mean?"

"It means that you and the rest of the power-hungry assholes are about to tossed out on your behinds."He had no intention of filling Tanner in on the particulars.Anyway, he suspected that Tanner was only feigning ignorance.It would have been nearly impossible to miss the two armies that Harvey and his crew had encountered."Keep Forstman, and enjoy your time at the top of the dung heap.All I want from you is Mike Ross."

"Who?"

"You know very well who.The blood donor."

"Hell no.I need Forstman alive for now."

"Forstman has survived this long.Cockroaches are resilient that way."

"Don’t try to bullshit a bullshitter, Harv.I saw Forstman’s requisition.That Disposable was slated for spare parts."

"Which you don't need.Why give Forstman his perfect vision back, or anything else?Let him grow old and worn out, like nature intended him to do."

The look Tanner gave him was confounded."What the hell does that reject mean to you?Wait.You still want to make the Chicago sale."He wagged a finger at Harvey."Oh, no.I think not.He's got to be awfully valuable for you to want to chance that trip, not once, but twice.I think I'll just hold onto him for now."

Harvey opened his mouth, fully prepared to argue for as long as Tanner would allow it.Just then, an enormous explosion rocked the entire block.The lights flickered and went out.Harvey’s night vision goggles were on in an instant, just as he knew Donna’s and Jessica’s and Louis’s would be, and hopefully the rest of their agents.

He dropped to a crouch and rolled hard against Tanner’s legs, as a burst of gunfire went off above his head.By the time the hospital’s auxiliary generators kicked in a minute later, all of Tanner’s people had been disarmed.Several lay bleeding on the ground.Harvey had a knee to Tanner’s throat, and his gun rested against the tip of his nose.

“You may be 'just that good'," Harvey said mockingly, not even breathing hard, "but guess who is better, and always will be?Now, let’s talk about Mike Ross.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly shorter chapter today. As I mentioned previously, I split the final chapter in two, and I'm still working on the final version of chapter 9. I'm not sure I'll have it ready by Saturday. If not, I'll try to post it some time before the end of the year.

Despite an excess of bravado, Tanner crumbled quickly enough under the full onslaught of their interrogation, and in the face of his all too obvious failure.  He'd never triumphed over Harvey and Jessica yet, and Harvey was starting to think he just wasn't trying. 

They let Louis lead the rough questioning, since he both enjoyed and excelled at it, but Harvey got his own hits in, because he figured, why should Louis have all the fun? 

With the situation under control, Harvey, Donna and Jessica left Tanner and his crew to the not-so-tender mercies of Louis and the rest of their agents.  "Just make sure they're immobilized, then get out, and get back to headquarters," ordered Jessica. 

Disappointment darkened Louis's eyes.  "Let me whack 'em." 

"Not this time." 

"Just Tanner, then.  Let me whack him.  We've whacked people for less.  I need to whack somebody." 

Harvey sort of felt the same way, except he was even more eager to get moving to locate Mike. 

"I said no."  Jessica's tone, although firm, remained surprisingly gentle.  She was less gentle when she pinned Katrina's wrist to her back and frog-marched her out the door in front of her. 

Following Tanner's recently screamed directions, they found Mike three doors down, crumpled on the floor, one arm outstretched and crusted with drying blood.  Forstman was nowhere in sight.  Knowing him as Harvey did, he suspected Forstman had taken stock of his situation, risen from his sick bed, and high-tailed it back to his well-fortified building like a cockroach skittering back underneath the kitchen cupboards. 

Harvey skidded to a stop at Mike's side, crouching down and feeling for a pulse.  He found one, although it was worryingly weak.  Harvey gave Mike a cautious shake, eliciting a low groan.  For the sake of appearances, Harvey held in his own groan of pure relief.  He wasn’t too late. 

They needed to get out of there, the quicker the better, so Harvey hoisted Mike over his shoulder and followed Jessica and Donna (herding a now cuffed and gagged Katrina) out the backdoor of the hospital and into the alley that ran behind it.  They found Rachel waiting with the limo, its engine purring smoothly.  Harvey put Mike in the backseat and climbed in beside him, arranging him so his head rested on his thigh.   

Jessica and Donna stuffed Katrina in the trunk, and then squeezed together into the front seat.  Rachel stomped on the gas, and they sped back toward headquarters.  The rest of their agents would make their own way back. 

The nearby streets had grown quiet and deserted, but in the western part of the city, explosions and gunfire continued to sound. 

"Is that your army I'm hearing?" asked Jessica, twisting around in the front seat to look at Harvey. 

"Mine?" 

"Might as well take credit.  Getting out of there intact would have been highly doubtful without the distraction they provided." 

Harvey realized he'd begun petting Mike's head and forced himself to stop.  "I'm not sure they had anything to do with that blackout.  They would have barely made it over the bridge and past the gate by now, if they've even reached the city.  I'm guessing we just got lucky with one of the neighborhood's regularly unscheduled power failures."   

His hand, as if of its own volition, had started petting Mike again.  He placed it on the seat and ordered it to stay there.  "If it is Colonel Smith and her army that we're hearing, I say let them have the city.  It's not like the current rulers have done so well by it." 

"I'm going to join up," declared Donna suddenly.  She gave Jessica a guilty look.  "That is, if it's okay with you, ma'am." 

"Save your ma'ams.  Unlike Harvey, you never signed a contract with me, which means you're free to do whatever you like.  Just remember your friends when they make you supreme ruler of the new republic."  She smiled as she said it, but Harvey suspected she was at least half serious. 

Mike stirred restlessly and let out a soft moan.  His eyelids fluttered and lifted.  When he tried to sit up, Harvey held him down. 

"Take it easy, kid.  I'm not sure how much blood they siphoned from you back there, but you look like shit." 

Mike groaned.  "I feel like shit," he croaked, relaxing like a dead weight against Harvey's legs.  A few seconds later, he gasped and struggled once more to sit up. 

"Hey.  I'm serious.  You need to stay still." 

"Did you know what they wanted me for?  I mean, all of it?" Mike asked, eyes wide and haunted. 

Guilt gripped Harvey.  "You were cursed with a rare blood type," he said, keeping his answer vague, ashamed of the truth, but not wanting to lie anymore. 

Showing unexpected strength, Mike threw Harvey's hands off, and managed to get himself upright.  He glared at Harvey with eyes gone midnight blue with anger.  "You only told me half the story.  It wasn't just my blood.  They were going to take me apart piece by piece, starting with my eyes.  Then they meant to keep whatever was left of me in storage for the sake of my blood. Those rich fucks are like real life vampires.  They think young blood will keep them young.  And you knew that all along, didn't you?  That's why you got me out of prison.  Chicago wasn't your first choice.  You had to change your plans when Forstman was shot.  Well?  Are you going to admit it, or are you going to keep lying to me?"  His mouth trembled as he stared down at his hands.  "God, you're such a bastard.  I was actually starting to like you." 

Surprisingly, it was Jessica who answered him.  "That's enough.  Harvey was only doing the job I ordered him to do.  If he hadn't found you, someone else would have, and you'd most likely be blind by now.  So instead of blaming him for doing his goddamn job, you should be thanking him for showing you mercy and getting you out.  I never would have gone in there to get you if Harvey hadn't argued that you were worth saving.  Don't prove me wrong." 

Mike still looked angry, and Harvey couldn't blame him.  "Mike, I'm sorry.  You're right.  The truth is, when I came to get you at Rikers, you were only some nameless Disposable who was going to earn me a huge commission.  Then I got to know you – " 

"Bullshit.  You don't know me at all."  Mike crossed his arms defensively across his chest, and turned to stare out the window on his side of the car.  He looked pale and fragile as a ghost, and all Harvey wanted to do was wrap his arms around him to lend him his strength and prop him up.  Mike's stiff body language clearly cautioned him to back off.  Harvey curled his hands into fists and rested them on the seat once more. 

"Don’t I?" he asked.  Okay, sure, maybe I don't know everything about you, but even in the short time I've spent with you, I've learned that you're funny, and smart, and resourceful.  I know that you lasted ten years inside Rikers, and somehow managed to retain more than a spark of humanity." 

"And yet, you still would have sold me to the buyer in Chicago." 

Harvey gave a weary sigh.  "Up until the moment Tanner grabbed you, I thought I might, yeah.  I'm not proud of that.  But I never could have gone through with the sale.  You already meant too much to me by then." 

A scoffing laugh from Mike.  "Is that so?  Am I supposed to believe you were, what ... falling in love with me while you drove me closer and closer to death?  Because that is all kinds of messed up."  He let out another low, bitter laugh.  "Well, what do you plan to do with me now?  Are you actually going to give up on that huge commission?" 

"Yes." 

"Oh, sure.  Right."  Mike gestured at the front seat.  "And what about the Three Graces up there?  How do I know one of them won't turn me over to Chicago, or the Forstmans?" 

Donna spoke up first.  "You don't have to worry about me.  I'm looking for an immediate and permanent change in profession.  If and when the federal government is restored, and reasserts its authority, you can bet one of the first things on the agenda, if I have any say about it, is re-criminalizing trafficking in human body parts.  Sorry, Jessica." 

"Don't be.  I'm thinking it may be time to consider other revenue streams." 

Everyone in the car turned to stare at Rachel. 

"Hey," she protested, "don't look at me like that.  I'm not selling you out either, Mike.  I kinda like you, and wouldn't mind having you around." 

"That settles it," said Harvey.  "You're officially my new agent trainee." 

"Whoa.  Slow down.  I never agreed to that." 

"Well, actually," said Donna, "you did, when I first let you out of the trunk." 

"You can’t hold me to anything I said then.  That was before I knew the truth.  Now that I do, am I just supposed to forget everything that's happened?" 

"Sometimes," offered Rachel, "you have to roll with the punches." 

"Huh."  Mike stared out the window, arms crossed over his chest, seeming to mull things over.  "Do you know," he finally asked, gaze still averted, "what I would have done if something like this happened to me in prison?"  He let out another harsh laugh.  "You, all of you – "  He waved a hand to indicate everyone in the car.  "You'd all be dead." 

"Mike," said Harvey, "if Colonel Smith and her army can actually patch the country back together, and get the government back up and running, there will be close to twenty years of questionable decisions which we'll all need to put behind us.  It’s not going to be easy, which I’ll be the first to admit, but it’s the only way we'll ever be able to move successfully forward."  He waited, but Mike remained stubbornly silent.  "Just think about it at least.  Rest up.  Get your strength back, and then decide." 

"Maybe I'll enlist in the army." 

Harvey's heart twinged unpleasantly, and his lungs tightened up for half a second, but he breathed through the brief moment of panic.  "If that's what you ultimately decide to do, I won't stop you.  Don't make any decisions right now.  Wait until you're feeling better.  Can you agree to that, at least?" 

Mike rested his head against the back of the seat.   "Fine.  I'll wait a little to see how things shake out.  Just don't fuck with me again, or I'm gone." 

Harvey slowly let out the breath he'd been holding.  He wanted to believe that if Mike gave him the time – a week, possibly less – he'd be able to convince him to stay, because being the best procurement agent in the city wasn’t always just about finding, it was also about taking possession. 

The mulish look on Mike's face told him he had his work cut out for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here is the final chapter.

Harvey and Jessica stood together, staring down at the closed trunk of the limo. 

"She's quiet, at least," said Harvey.  The situation reminded him uncomfortably of when he'd brought Mike back from Rikers.  He would prefer not to think about that, would prefer to pretend it had never happened.  Unfortunately, it was doubtful that Mike would ever forget.  "What are we going to do with her?" 

Jessica sighed.  "What I'd like to do is make her wish she'd never been born." 

"I thought … I assumed we weren't doing that anymore." 

"As firm policy, we're taking a pause on some of our more extreme practices.  This, however, is personal." 

"Ah, no, technically she is – or was – your employee. 

"Okay, Harvey, what would you suggest I do with her?" 

"Shave her head and call it even?" 

"No." 

"Get her to transfer your credits back, shave her head, and let her go?" 

"No to the head shaving.  Yes to everything else." 

"Great.  I'm sure Louis would be happy to handle the interrogation."  He gestured towards himself.  "Me?  I need to go see how Mike is getting along." 

Jessica laughed, shaking her head.  "My god, Harvey, you've got it bad for that kid, don't you?" 

She was right, but he wasn't about to admit it to her.  "He's my trainee.  I should be the one training him.  For all I know, Donna and Rachel are teaching him all sorts of things he'll just have to unlearn later." 

"They aren't teaching him anything, beyond where the showers are, what his uniform will look like, and which bed he's been assigned in the dormitory.  In case it's escaped your notice, he needs a few days’ rest to get him back to fighting strength.  Plus, he seemed royally pissed off at you.  You might want to keep your distance, and give him time to cool off."  She peered at him closely, and must have seen something in his expression that caused her to soften her tone.  "Fine.  You can go check on him, but first help me get Katrina out of the car and into the interview room." 

The interview room – a polite euphemism for the sound-proofed cell which, more often than not, required a strong hosing out to remove all the blood following the "interview" – was located at the back of the warehouse. 

Katrina didn't put up much of a fight.  Either she was resigned to her fate, or more likely, fumes from the gas jugs with which she’d recently shared space had rendered her nearly unconscious.  Harvey and Jessica half-carried, half-dragged her down the hall, and strapped her to a chair in the interview room.   

"Thank you, Harvey," said Jessica.  "You're excused.  Katrina and I are going to have a little chat before Louis gets here." 

Sudden terror entered Katrina's dull eyes.  Harvey suspected just the threat of Louis would be enough to get her to talk.  He left Jessica to it, and went to find Mike. 

He found him seated on the edge of one of the narrow beds in the dormitory, wearing only a pair of briefs, towel-drying his hair.  His eyes flickered up to Harvey and away again, but he said nothing.  Harvey considered turning around and leaving him alone, but decided that was the coward's way out.   

“Donna must really like you,” he commentedy, taking a cautious step forward. 

Mike raised one eyebrow, and carried on rubbing the towel over his hair. 

“I know this,” said Harvey, “because I see that she gifted you with one of the last pairs of good underpants, smuggled straight from China.” 

“Wow,” Mike scoffed, “good underpants.  That makes up for everything.” 

Harvey paced nervously in front of the bed.  “Have you eaten?” 

“Rachel went to fix me something.” 

“Lucky you.  She’s the best cook we have.  And no, good food doesn’t make up for the way we treated you either.”  He was tempted to ask what _would_ make up for it.  He doubted he’d enjoy the answer Mike was likely to give right at that moment, so instead he asked, “Is there anything else you need?” 

Dropping the towel on the floor, Mike lay down and pulled a blanket over himself.  “Not from you.  I’m tired.  I’m just going to eat, and then sleep for a few days.  If that’s okay with you.” 

Any other trainee agent would have received a harsh lecture for behaving the way Mike was, but Harvey knew he didn’t exactly have the moral high ground at the moment, so he let it go.  He stooped down to retrieve the damp towel without comment.  “I’m assigning Rachel to keep an eye on you until you’re feeling better.  You two seem to get along well enough.” 

Mike’s only response was a grunt. 

“Okay, I can see you need a little more time to cool off.  I’m going to get out of your way.” 

Before Harvey could turn to go, Mike surprised him by asking, “Do you really live here, with all the other agents?” 

“No, not usually.  I have a squat not too far from here, but when shit starts going down in the city, we all hunker down together.” 

Mike fiddled with the edge of the blanket.  “Do you suppose the city will really fall to that army we ran into?” 

Harvey shrugged one shoulder.  “For all I know, it’s already happening.  I’m not sure ‘fall’ is the word I’d use.  If you’re worried about it, don’t be.  This place is well-fortified.” 

“I’m not worried.  Not about that.” 

Harvey gazed at him expectantly, but evidently Mike had said all he intended to.  He gave Harvey an unreadable look back in return, knuckles going white where he clutched the blanket to his chest. 

“I’ll be back to check on you later,” Harvey told him.  Although he was reluctant to leave Mike alone, he knew nothing would be gained from hovering over him, so he went in search of Donna. 

As expected, he found her in front of the shortwave. 

“Any news?” he asked her. 

“Colonel Smith’s army is trying to take the bridge.  The city’s security forces are fighting back, but they’re no match for Smith’s superior firepower.  My sources predict the gate will fall by morning, if not sooner.”  

“And after that?” 

Donna gave him a serious look.  “After that, I imagine we’ll discover Smith’s true intentions.” 

And if Donna approved, she'd be off to join them.  “Did Louis and the others make it back yet?” 

“Yep.  Louis is in the interview room with Jessica and Katrina.  You’ll find most of the rest of them in the rec hall, in a celebratory mood.  I don’t know where they’ve all been hoarding all that liquor, but it’s shaping up to be one hell of a party.” 

“Seems premature.  What are they celebrating?” 

“The downfall of Tanner and his crew, mostly.  And rumor has it that the Forstmans and the rest of the ‘Garchs will soon be out of power.” 

He sat down next to her and let out a sigh.  “Maybe.  Maybe not.”  Giving in to his deep weariness, he rested his head on her shoulder.  “Are you really planning to leave me all alone?” 

“Alone?  You’ve got Mike now.  Well, maybe.  If you haven’t scared him off for good.  And you’ve got Jessica.” 

“Yeah, Jessica.  My keeper.”  He grimaced.  “At least I finally got that damned chip out of me.  I doubt she’ll be able to find another one to replace it.  So … silver linings.” 

“What will you do if Mike decides not to stick around?”  Donna ran a hand over Harvey’s head, again and again, petting him until he yawned and settled more comfortably against her. 

“He’ll stick around,” he said, trying to sound as if he believed it. 

“But what if he doesn’t?” 

“I don’t know.  Probably wait until the political situation settles down here, and then get the hell out like I'd planned all along.” 

“Harvey,” she chided, pretending to be shocked, “you gave Jessica your word.” 

He mumbled an unintelligible response, and allowed himself to drift into a light doze. 

 

****** 

 

Donna had been correct.  The gate into the city fell sometime during the night.  Instead of advancing into the city, however, shooting everyone on sight and looting everything of value, they held where they were, and requested parley with the city rulers. 

Whatever was said during those meetings would be for historians to record later.  All the citizens of New York knew was that three days later, the coalition of oligarchs put up the white flag of surrender, and Colonel Smith’s army surged into the city, in what turned out to be remarkably orderly fashion.   

Jessica granted anyone who wished it, permission to go join the crowds of citizens watching the tanks and jeeps and foot soldiers make their way through the streets towards their ultimate destination of Central Park, where they apparently intended to set up camp. 

Mike had taken longer than expected to recover his strength, and remained in bed, sleeping, and sometimes conversing softly with Rachel.  Harvey's cot was on the other side of the room.  He could watch Mike from there, and sometimes caught him staring thoughtfully back at him.   

As for Colonel Smith's army, Harvey had already gotten a close-up view, so he opted to stay behind to guard the warehouse, and to keep an eye on Mike, who remained bedridden.  Colonel Smith was expected to speak to the masses, so Harvey moved the shortwave into the dormitory, in case Mike woke up. 

Smith’s speech was brief and to the point.  She would leave troops behind, along with a provisional ruler of the city, to lead until proper elections could be organized.  Additionally, citizens were encouraged to volunteer, either to fight with the army, or become a part of the new city government. 

Harvey had thought Mike was asleep, but he spoke up after the speech was over.  “Will you volunteer?” 

Harvey shook his head.  “Probably not.  I doubt my skill set is compatible with their goals for the new government.” 

“I would think it’s completely compatible with their fighting force.” 

Harvey rubbed distractedly at his breastbone.  “Not interested.  I’ve done enough killing.”  A thick silence fell between them.  “How are you feeling?” Harvey asked finally. 

“Better.  I might even be able to walk more than two steps without falling on my face.” 

“Progress.  That’s good.  Can I get you anything?” 

“Harvey, why are you still here?  Why didn’t you go with everyone else to see the triumphant entry of the Great Reunification Army of the United States of America?” 

Another shrug from Harvey.  “Parades and speeches?  Not really my thing.” 

“Oh?  What is your thing?” 

_You._   Harvey shrugged.  "Do I have to have a thing?" 

“Come on, Harvey.  There must be something in life that gives you enjoyment.” 

He scratched behind one ear, thinking.  “Good music.  Good scotch.  The scent of approaching snow on the breeze.  The color blue.” 

Mike gave a mocking laugh.  “Right.  I get it.  You’re a lover, not a fighter.” 

“Oh, I’m a fighter.  It’s just that I’ve recently become more particular about what I’m willing to fight for.” 

Mike lapsed into a thoughtful silence. 

Harvey was almost afraid to ask his next question, but he had to know.  “What about you?  Have you made up your mind?” 

“About?” 

“About whether you’re going to stay here and become an agent.” 

“So, you’re admitting I have a choice?” 

“You’ve always had a choice.” 

“Always?” 

Harvey rubbed at his chest again, frowning.  “No,” he conceded gruffly, “not always.” 

"I'm tired," said Mike, rolling away from Harvey and presenting him with his back.   

Harvey sighed deeply and turned to leave, but was stopped by Mike's voice. 

"Can we talk some more after I wake up?" 

Harvey was glad that Mike couldn't see the look of shock on his face, followed by a wide smile, which he quickly wrestled back down.  "Of course.  How about I come get you for dinner, and we can eat in the mess hall with the rest of the agents." 

"Mmph," said Mike.  A few minutes later, he started to snore. 

 

****** 

 

"And you never saw your folks again?" asked Mike, eyeing Harvey over his raised fork. 

"Nope.  Dad couldn't get any paying gigs after the schism.  He drank himself to death before my sixteenth birthday.  Mom took off with her latest lover before the bridges closed for good.  Don't know what happened to her, and don't care." 

Judging by the pitying look Mike was giving him, he didn't believe a word of it.  "How could you not care?  She was your mother." 

Harvey shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.  When he'd swallowed the sticky lump, he changed the subject.  "I had a brother.  Marcus.  He got out right after Dad died.  I got a letter from him once.  He was working as a cook at a cattle ranch in the Republic of Texas.  I like to think he's still doing okay."  Even if the last president of Texas had declared himself lifetime dictator, and was said to be an egomaniacal tyrant somewhere along the spectrum between Hitler and Mussolini. 

Harvey had reread Mike's prison file, so he already knew the answer when he asked, "What about your parents?" 

"Dead in a car crash.  No other relatives.  When I could get away from the group homes, my buddy Trevor and I took care of each other.  He's the one that taught me about cars." 

"What happened to him?" 

"Shot," Mike said, his offhand tone betrayed by the flash of pain in his eyes.  "Never found out who did it.  He was just another Disposable, right?  Like me.  After he was gone, it took less than a month before I was locked up.  I thought that was it, that I'd die in prison." 

Harvey didn't know what to say.  It was an all too common story.  He probably would have ended up like Mike, if not for Jessica.  He ate slowly, letting the low hum of conversation from the other tables around them wash over him. 

“Do you know,” asked Mike suddenly, “what I thought the first time I saw you?  They pulled me out of my cell, stuck a gag in my mouth and dragged me out to the front desk, and there you were, waiting to take possession of me.  And I thought, okay, this might not be so bad.  I might not need much convincing to do things for this guy.” 

“You thought …” 

“That’s right.  I thought you’d bought me for my body.  Well, it turned out I was right, just not in the way I assumed.  And then when Donna told me I’d been selected be become a procurement agent, I couldn’t get over my good luck.  I thought I'd won the fucking lottery.  But at the same time …”  He looked away, but continued his confession, as if he needed to get it off his chest and out in the open.  “At the same time, I was disappointed, because it looked like I wouldn’t get to … to have you in that way.” 

For the first time, Harvey felt a sliver of optimism about a possible future with Mike.  “Huh.  Well, if it makes you feel any better, for the first time I truly despised the job I’d been given, commission or no commission.  I was glad that bastard Forstman was shot, and I hoped we’d never reach Chicago.” 

“Why?  Because you thought I’d make such an amazing agent?”  Mike’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. 

“You know why.” 

“Do I?” 

A burst of laughter two tables over made them both jump.  “Mike, I do think you’d make a fine agent.  I couldn’t care less about that, though.  I want you.  For me.  In my life.  I want to see where things go between us.”   

Mike stared steadily back at him, face giving nothing away.   

“I want …” continued Harvey, and paused, swallowing thickly as he imagined all the things he wanted.  "For the record, Mike, you were never a Disposable, no matter what I, or anyone else, called you.  You're – " 

He was cut off when one of the junior agents backed into him, causing him to drop his fork and spill gravy down the front of his uniform.  He turned his head and glared at the young man, who stammered out an apology, and tried to wipe the gravy from Harvey with a crumpled napkin.  Harvey batted his hand away, and gave him the death glare he'd perfected over the years, until the agent made a hasty retreat. 

Mike, he realized when he turned back to him, was holding in his laughter. 

"What?" demanded Harvey. 

"Nothing.  Just … you.  I thought Kyle was going to piss his pants.  Are they all that afraid of you?" 

"Of course.  Aren't you?" 

That seemed to take Mike aback for a few seconds.  "Well … no.  I should be, I suppose, considering our history together.  Why?  Do you want me to be afraid of you?" 

"No!"  Heads turned to stare at his loud denial.  He clenched his jaw in frustration.   

"Then what do you want from me, Harvey?  To be your agent, or something more?" 

“I told you … “  Too many interested gazes were still pointed in their direction.  "Are you finished with dinner?  Good.  Let's go find somewhere more private to talk. 

 

****** 

 

They had to settle for the supply room, which wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing space, but at least had the advantage of a door that locked.  Mike found a seat on several stacked crates of dusty canned goods, while Harvey leaned against the door. 

"You asked me what I want from you," said Harvey. 

"And I don't want some bullshit answer, or some equally bullshit half-truth." 

Harvey was quiet for several minutes as he considered how best to answer Mike.  He furrowed his brow, trying to convey the impression of someone deep in thought.  In actuality, he was afraid – of saying too much, or not saying enough, or having Mike laugh in his face.  He had not become so successful at getting what he wanted by being timid, he decided, and was not about to start now.   

“I'll tell you what I want.  I want to kiss you until you can’t breathe.  I want to hold you down and fuck you so slow and so sweet that you scream for mercy, and then scream for more.  I want to taste you, and suck you, and … and spend every day of the rest of our lives making up to you for what I nearly allowed to happen.” 

Mike’s face could have been carved in stone, but his eyes had darkened, indicating that he had heard every word, and was affected by them, although Harvey couldn’t be certain in what way.  He judged that now was the moment, with all his cards out on the table, that he should find out how receptive Mike was to him. 

Moving slowly, he shifted from away from the door and closer to Mike.  “Do you think,” he asked him, “that even if you don't want the same things, you could at least hate me a little less?  If not now, then eventually?” 

“I think,” Mike whispered back, “you should kiss me.” 

Harvey wanted to shout in triumph.  Instead, he nodded, bent at the waist, slowly, slowly, lowered his face to Mike’s and gifted him with the most tender kiss in his arsenal.  The kiss went on for long minutes, gentle and thorough, until Mike surged to his feet, pushed Harvey against the nearest shelf, and kissed him with something that felt like desperation, teeth clicking together and tongues muscling back and forth.   

When Harvey pulled away, Mike’s breathing had gone erratic, and a flush of color had climbed his neck to his cheeks.  “H-how long,” he asked Harvey, “before anyone needs this room?” 

“Too soon to do much more.  And you’re still too weak.” 

“Not that weak.” 

“Siege protocols should be lifted in a day or two.  We could … God, Mike, would you consider returning to my place with me?”  He held his breath as he waited for an answer. 

“Yeah.  Yeah, I would.” 

Harvey's cheeks creased with a wide, relieved grin.  “So, you’re done being mad at me?” 

“Oh, I expect I’ll bring the whole spare parts thing up at some point during every fight we have for the next … let’s say five years.” 

Harvey gave an uncertain laugh, which was cut off when Mike grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him again. 

 

****** 

 

Harvey opened the padlock on his front door and ushered Mike into his squat. 

"This place?" said Mike, turning in a slow circle to view the whole space.  "You actually live in this dump?" 

"Hey, now.  It's not so bad.  I don't share the bathroom with anyone.  No bugs in the couch.  The rats are all house-trained, and the electricity is on at least half of the time.  The best part?  Rent free.  And before you go insulting my home any further, kindly remember where you spent the last ten years." 

"Fair point.  I suppose I'll get used to it."   

Mike finished his circle and ended up face to face with Harvey, who had closed the distance between them, so that they now stood just inches apart.  Using one foot, Harvey slammed the front door shut behind himself and leaned in for a kiss.  Before it landed, Mike neatly side-stepped him, at the same time giving a low whistle. 

"What in the hell is that?" he asked, pointing at the poster taped to the back of the door. 

Along with Mike, Harvey stated at the poster of the A-frame next to the Pacific Ocean.  For so many years this view had been his touchstone, his promise to himself that he would find a way out of his current life.  It had been both a dream, and an escape plan.  This is what he'd given up for Mike, and as he looked back and forth between the faded picture, and the flesh and blood young man before him, he knew he’d made the correct choice. 

"That?  It was here when I moved in," he lied.  "I never saw the point of taking it down." 

"Huh," said Mike, as if he wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.  "It’s beautiful, wherever it is.  I wouldn't mind living there someday." 

Harvey didn't answer him, but he filed that admission away to be examined later.  Instead of speaking, he rested a hand on the side of Mike's neck and leaned in to complete the kiss Mike had dodged earlier.  As they came together, it was so good, so perfect, just as it had been since the first time in the supply room three days ago, and every other time they'd managed to find enough privacy for more stolen, hungry kisses.   

Now, the kiss grew more heated and frantic, until Mike broke it off, looking around the room once more.  "Where's your bed?" he asked breathlessly. 

"Ah.  I sleep on the couch." 

Mike groaned, although he smiled as he did so.  "Those times jerking each other off in the supply room, or in the backseat of your car, all I could think about was having the privacy to do this lying down." 

"That's all you were thinking about?" 

"You know what I mean." 

"The couch will be fine for now.  It's never failed me before.  And we'll get a bed.   And a bigger place.  No problem.  I am the best procurement agent in Manhattan, after all." 

They fumbled with their clothes as they kiss-stumbled their way over to the couch.  Mostly undressed, they toppled together onto the couch, with Harvey lying on his back and Mike on top of him.   They kissed some more, rubbing against each other. 

"When exactly," Mike panted, "did you … realize?" 

"Realize what?"  Harvey worked Mike's boxers down his hips to his knees. 

"That you preferred to keep me all in one piece?" 

Harvey groaned and lay back, letting his hands fall away.  "Did you have to bring that up right now?  Are we having a fight, and I just didn't notice?" 

Mike wrapped his arms around Harvey's neck and wriggled his pelvis.  "I'm not mad.  Not anymore.  I learned a long time ago that grudges are a waste of energy.  I'm just curious." 

Staring up at the ceiling and the water stain shaped like the Chrysler Building, Harvey sighed and ran his hands up and down Mike's naked back.  "I hated the damn job from the start, mostly because it was for Forstman.  But, to be honest, the first look I got of you at Rikers was enough to know I wanted you.  I just wasn’t ready to admit it until it was almost too late." 

"But what about me was it?" 

Harvey had to hold back a laugh at Mike's dogged questioning.  Sometimes he seemed so young, and Harvey had to remind himself that he was dealing with an adult who had survived on his own on the streets, and then survived ten years in prison, and somehow come through it all with his essential sweetness intact.  "It was your eyes, if you really must know.  Those same eyes that Forstman wanted to take from you.  Part of me knew right then, in that instant, that I would end up loving you." 

Mike's steady breathing stopped for a few seconds, and then started again.  He didn't say anything after that, just dove in for another kiss.  Harvey’s hand scrabbled around on the floor until he located his pants, and retrieved the lube he’d traded for at the sex market on Delancey the day before.  Working together, he and Mike swiftly prepared one another. 

When Harvey pressed upwards into Mike’s welcoming heat, and Mike cried out lowly in his ear, Harvey’s eyes were open and fixed on the poster on his door.  He’d take it down tomorrow, he decided, holding Mike’s hips, and thrusting up and up and up.  He no longer needed to travel three thousand miles to find his escape and his paradise.  He’d already found it right here. 

 

 

**The End**  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Next up, I'm finishing "Discerning Eye." The next chapter for that will probably be up within the week. 
> 
> I hope you all have a great New Year. Maybe 2017 will be better? Fingers crossed, anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Cover Art] for Spare Parts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10748973) by [IamJohnLocked4art (IamJohnLocked4life)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamJohnLocked4life/pseuds/IamJohnLocked4art)




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